Sixteen days have passed since the start of the event - including one rest day - and only eight participants remain in contention at the FIDE World Cup in Goa. Sunday's round-of-16 tiebreaks completed the lineup for the decisive quarterfinals, which begin on Monday.
With three qualification spots for the 2026 Candidates Tournament at stake, the remaining contenders now stand within reach of the event's most significant prize. Notably, none of the quarterfinalists has previously taken part in a Candidates Tournament, meaning that next year's edition of the double round-robin in Cyprus will feature three debutants.
Four of the eight round-of-16 matches had already been decided in the classical portion. Among the four that required tiebreaks, three ended in favour of the lower-rated player. The only result that could be considered a genuine upset was Alexander Donchenko's win over Le Quang Liem, however. The victories by Jose Martinez and Sam Shankland, achieved against Pentala Harikrishna and Daniil Dubov respectively, were less surprising given the strong form both players have shown throughout the event and the relative closeness in rating.
The quarterfinal lineup highlights national diversity and generational breadth. Seven countries are represented, with Uzbekistan being the only nation to field two players: Javokhir Sindarov and Nodirbek Yakubboev. The age range spans from 19-year-old Sindarov to 34-year-old Shankland, with the remaining six players all in their twenties.
For Shankland, the last remaining US representative from an initial group of twelve, the quarterfinal takes on added personal significance. As he reflected after defeating Dubov, the 2021 World Cup quarterfinal remains the most painful loss of his career. At that time, he was eliminated by Sergey Karjakin, who won twice on demand before ultimately advancing to the semifinals. Speaking candidly, Shankland noted:
I will forget every single [loss] except for the 2021 quarterfinals. I will take that match to my grave, and this is my chance to exorcize some demons.
After surviving a tough position in the first classical game of the match and safely getting a draw with black in the second, Shankland won both 15+10 games in the tiebreakers to reach the quarterfinals. The first win, achieved with the white pieces, was the match's turning point.
Daniil Dubov | Photo: Eteri Kublashvili
Grebnev, aged 19, was the lowest-rated player still in contention. In the tiebreaks, Esipenko defeated the youngster's Petroff Defence in the first rapid game.
Aleksey Grebnev failed to score in the rapid-chess rematch | Photo: Eteri Kublashvili
The longest match of the round-of-16 saw the contenders trading wins with black in the first two sets of the tiebreakers. In the 5+3 section, though, a 27-draw was followed by Donchenko's deciding victory with the white pieces.
Alexander Donchenko | Photo: Eteri Kublashvili
Facing the experienced Harikrishna, Martinez showed stable, strong play throughout the match, scoring the only win of the confrontation in the first game with a 10+10 time control.
Charlize van Zyl interviewing Jose Martinez | Photo: Eteri Kublashvili
Replay games from all rounds at Live.ChessBase.com
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