Nodirbek Yakubboev became the first player to enter the semifinals of the FIDE World Cup 2025 on Tuesday. He drew his second game against Alexander Donchenko and sealed the match 1½–½. The other three quarterfinal clashes remain unresolved, so Arjun Erigaisi vs Wei Yi, Jose Martinez vs Javokhir Sindarov, and Andrey Esipenko vs Sam Shankland will head into tiebreaks on Wednesday. These matches will start deciding the next contenders for the Candidates Tournament.

Yakubboev books first semifinal spot

Yakubboev secured his place in the last four after calmly holding Alexander Donchenko with the black pieces in Goa. He had already won the first game on Monday by exploiting an early opening mistake from the German grandmaster. Tuesday’s draw pushed him closer to a berth in the 2026 Candidates Tournament.

The 23-year-old from Tashkent now has two chances to qualify. Even if he falls in the semifinals—against either Javokhir Sindarov or Jose Martinez—he can still earn a Candidates place by winning the third-place playoff. The World Cup awards three spots for the prestigious event.

To earn the draw, Yakubboev chose a Nimzo-Indian line that gave him structural weaknesses but also a stable, defendable setup. Donchenko pressed hard deep into the rook endgame. He even reached a pawn-up position, but he never created real winning chances. After 57 moves, the game ended in a draw, sending Yakubboev into the semifinals.

Three remaining ties head to rapid and blitz

The other quarterfinals produced draws, leaving the outcomes to be decided in Wednesday’s rapid and blitz tiebreakers. Arjun Erigaisi came the closest to winning but missed a tactical idea in a Semi-Slav position. This allowed Wei Yi to escape and keep his Candidates hopes alive.

Jose Martinez vs Javokhir Sindarov followed a forced and balanced line, and the players shook hands after just over half an hour. The position looked simple but contained several precise king moves, highlighted later by GM Karsten Müller’s analysis. Meanwhile, Andrey Esipenko and Sam Shankland also drew after an even fight.

These results set up three high-pressure tiebreaks on Wednesday, where more semifinalists—and potential Candidates qualifiers—will finally emerge.