China, Nov 22 : China’s Grandmaster Wei Yi and Uzbekistan’s Nodirbek Yakubboev were unable to secure victories with the white pieces as both semifinal matches at the FIDE World Cup 2025 semifinals ended in draws in Panaji, Goa, on Friday.
Nodirbek Yakubboev and fellow Uzbek GM Javokhir Sindarov opted for a quick truce after completing the mandatory 30 moves, agreeing to a draw in an evenly balanced position.
In contrast, the clash between Wei Yi and GM Andrey Esipenko witnessed more sparks. Wei, who had knocked out India’s top hope GM Arjun Erigaisi in the quarterfinals, faced an uncommon variation of the French Defence and gained an early edge much like in his previous round.
Esipenko, however, showed resilience. The Russian born GM neutralised Wei’s initiative and gradually equalised. As Wei began to feel the heat on the clock, he attempted a decisive three piece attack involving his rook, bishop, and queen. Esipenko responded with precise defence, steering the game into a simplified pawn endgame. The players agreed to split the point after 33 moves.
India’s campaign at the FIDE World Cup 2025 came to a halt earlier on Wednesday when Arjun Erigaisi fell to Wei Yi in the quarterfinal tiebreak. Other leading Indian players, including R. Praggnanandhaa and P. Harikrishna, had exited in earlier rounds.
Erigaisi, the last Indian in the fray, had held Wei to draws in both classical games before tiebreaks. The 22 year old adopted the French Defence in the first rapid game and looked under pressure in the middlegame. A conservative 27th-move choice by Wei allowed Arjun to recover, eventually holding the game to a 66 move draw, though he ultimately fell short in the deciding games.
Results
GM Wei Yi (CHN) drew with GM Andrey Esipenko (FIDE) — 0.5–0.5
GM Nodirbek Yakubboev (UZB) drew with GM Javokhir Sindarov (UZB) — 0.5–0.5