Arjun Drops to Losers Bracket, Keeps EWC Title Hopes Alive

Arjun Erigaisi remains in contention for the Esports World Cup Chess title despite suffering a setback against Alireza Firouzja, while compatriot Nihal Sarin has also stayed alive after dropping into the losers bracket.

Representing Gen.G, Arjun opened his campaign in Paris with an impressive 2-0 victory over Nihal Sarin of S8UL Esports. The win sent Arjun into the winners-bracket semifinals, while Nihal was pushed into the lower half of the double-elimination draw.

Arjun then faced Alireza Firouzja in the winners-bracket semifinal. The two-game match was level at 1.5-1.5, forcing an Armageddon tiebreak to decide the winner. Firouzja prevailed in the decider, handing Arjun his first defeat of the tournament and sending him into the losers bracket.

However, the loss has not ended Arjun's title campaign. The tournament's double-elimination format gives him another route to the Grand Final. According to the current bracket, Arjun is already placed in the losers-bracket quarterfinal, where he will meet the winner of the first-round clash between Benjamin Bok and Pranesh M.

If Arjun wins that match, he will advance to the losers-bracket semifinal. He would then need to win the subsequent lower-bracket final before earning a place in the Grand Final, where he could still fight for the championship.

Nihal's campaign is also not over. After his defeat to Arjun, he will take on China's Wei Yi in the first round of the losers bracket. The winner will progress to face Jan-Krzysztof Duda in the next stage, while the loser will be eliminated.

The other winners-bracket semifinal saw Nodirbek Abdusattorov beat Duda 2-0, setting up a winners-bracket final against Firouzja. The winner of that encounter will move directly toward the Grand Final, while the loser will receive another opportunity through the losers bracket. With the event being played in a double-elimination format, Arjun's defeat to Firouzja is a setback, not an exit. The Indian Grandmaster now faces a longer and more demanding route, but the path to the Grand Final - and ultimately the Esports World Cup title - remains open.