Seeking to qualify for the Candidates’ event, India’s top-rated Arjun Erigaisi walked off with an easy draw with his Chinese counterpart Wei Yi in the first game of the quarterfinals on Monday. On what turned out to be an easy day for Arjun, Alexander Donchenko finally realised about things being rosy everyday. The German had been on a dream run which is likely to end now as Nodirbek Yakubboev won an exciting game one with white pieces. If Yakubboev is able to hold the German in the next game to a draw he will be through to the semifinal.
For Arjun the opening was important and it did not pose any issues. The young Indian generation is re-writing the theoretical aspects of the game and Arjun is no exception. As it turned out of a routine Ruy Lopez theory, Arjun equalised with a thematic pawn sacrifice earlier in the middle game. When Wei Yi returned the favour the position was already dead-equal and the players shook hands to split the point in a mere 31 moves.
Javokhir Sindarov of Uzbekistan played out a draw with Jose Eduaordo Martinez Alcantara of Mexico in a well contested game. The Uzbek was never under real threat and could be seen as a potential semifinalist out of this contest. In the only other remaining match Samuel Shankland of United States also played out a draw with Russian Andrey Esipenko. Complete results quarterfinals game 1: Javokhir Sindarov (Uzb) drew with Jose Eduardo Martinez Alcantara (Mex); Wei Yi (Chn) drew with Arjun Erigaisi (Ind); Sam Shankland (Usa) drew with Andrey Esipenko (Fid); Nodirbek Yakubboev (Uzb) beat Alexander Donchenko (Ger).
