Panaji (Goa), Nov 21 (NationPress) Grandmaster (GM) Wei Yi from China and Nodirbek Yakubboev of Uzbekistan failed to penetrate the defenses of their rivals while playing with white pieces, resulting in both semifinal matches of the FIDE World Cup 2025 concluding in draws on Friday in Panaji, Goa.

Nodirbek reached an agreement with his fellow countryman, GM Javokhir Sindarov, right after the required 30 moves, while Wei Yi and GM Andrey Esipenko had opportunities but could not secure a win, eventually sharing the point after 33 moves.

Wei Yi, who triumphed over India's top contender, GM Arjun Erigaisi, in the quarterfinals, encountered an unusual variation of the French defense presented by Esipenko. Similar to his previous match, he held a slight early advantage.

However, Esipenko skillfully balanced the position, and it appeared that Wei was facing some time constraints.

Nevertheless, Wei successfully orchestrated a three-pronged assault using a rook, bishop, and queen. Esipenko, however, countered with a flawless defensive maneuver, steering the game toward a pawn endgame where both competitors agreed to a draw.

Earlier, India's campaign in the FIDE World Cup 2025 concluded on Wednesday, as GM Arjun Erigaisi succumbed to GM Wei Yi in the quarterfinal tiebreak. Other notable players like R. Praggnanannadhaa and P Harikrishna were eliminated in the preceding round.

At the quarterfinal stage, Arjun was the sole Indian participant, and after drawing both classical games, the tiebreak was destined to be a challenging battle.

The 22-year-old from Warangal opted for the French defense in the initial tiebreak with black pieces. It seemed that he was in a precarious position during the middle game. Nonetheless, Wei made a crucial mistake on the 27th move by opting for a safer move, which allowed Arjun to stage a comeback and ultimately led to a draw after 66 moves.

Result:

GM Wei Yi (CHN) drew with GM Andrey Esipenko (FIDE) 0.5:0.5

GM Nodirbek Yakubboev (UZB) vs GM Javokhir Sindarov (UZB) 0.5:0.5