Esports World Cup Chess: Arjun Erigaisi to fight for bronze medal

Grand Master Arjun Erigaisi will fight for a bronze medal after losing his semi-final match to Alireza Firouzja of France at the Esports World Cup 2025 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Thursday.

Arjun faced a 1-4 defeat in the 6-game semi-final match-up against Alireza and will now take on Hikaru Nakamura, who lost his semis to Magnus Carlsen, in the bronze medal playoff match on Friday.

Earlier, Arjun also became the first Indian chess player to reach the ESports World Cup semi-final after his solid 2.5-1.5 win against Ian Nepomniachtchi of Russia in the quarterfinal.

In the semis, Arjun didn't get many chances as he lost all three of his matches with the black pieces and had to settle for two draws with the white pieces, confirming a dominant win for Alireza in just 5 games.

This was Arjun's first defeat of the tournament, but now he wants to bounce back strongly and win the bronze medal playoff and end the tournament on a high.

On the other hand, the youngster Nihal Sarin faced a quarterfinal exit against the top-seeded Magnus, as he managed only half a point in the first game and then lost two consecutive games.