“I’ve shot one falcon, I want to shoot one more tomorrow!”
The third day of the Esports World Cup featured both the quarterfinals and semifinals, narrowing the field ahead of Friday’s final. After an intense run of matches played at the Boulevard City venue in Riyadh, world number one Magnus Carlsen will face Alireza Firouzja in the Grand Final, where the winner will claim the top prize of $250,000. In the third-place match, Hikaru Nakamura and Arjun Erigaisi will contest the $145,000 prize.
As on previous days, all matches were played with a 10-minute time control and no increment, using a best-of-four format for the quarterfinals and best-of-six for the semifinals. In case of a 2–2 or 3–3 tie, bidding Armageddon games determined the winner. The day saw a number of momentum shifts, severe time pressure, and one match that stretched all the way to an Armageddon decider.
The Classical Sicilian has stood the test of time as one of the most principled and fighting defences against 1.e4. With its rich history spanning world championship matches and modern elite tournaments, this opening remains a favourite among players who seek a dynamic, counterattacking approach without venturing into extreme theoretical battles like the Najdorf or Sveshnikov.
Free video sample: Introduction
Free video sample: 6.h3
Magnus Carlsen began his day with a quarterfinal match against Nihal Sarin, which ended 2½–½ in favour of the Norwegian. The scoreline may suggest a routine win, but both players later commented that the match was closer than it appeared, particularly during the early stages. The first game ended in a tense draw, Carlsen won the second, and then capitalised on errors in the third to secure his place in the semifinals.
There he met Hikaru Nakamura, in what turned out to be the most dramatic match of the tournament so far. Carlsen struck first, punishing an imprecise game by Nakamura to take the lead. Game two saw Carlsen in control once again, but a lapse in the final phase of the game allowed Nakamura to escape with a draw by repetition, missing a winning continuation that could have equalised the score.
Rather than being discouraged, Nakamura responded with a King’s Indian Defence in game three, outplaying Carlsen and trapping his queen in a rare tactical shot. It was Carlsen’s first loss in the event.
In game four, Carlsen produced a confident and dynamic performance to regain the lead, and followed it up with a solid draw in game five. Needing a win to stay in the match, Nakamura played with high energy in game six and was rewarded when Carlsen blundered a piece, levelling the match at 3–3.
The Armageddon tiebreak followed. Nakamura, known for preferring the black pieces in such situations, bid just 6 minutes and 12 seconds, leaving Carlsen with close to a four-minute advantage. Nakamura only needed a draw, and for a long time, it looked like he might hold. Carlsen, however, maintained enough pressure to tip the balance in his favour and eventually won the game, booking his place in the Grand Final.
After the match, Carlsen turned his attention to Firouzja, Nakamura’s teammate on Team Falcons. Jokingly, he said, “I’ve shot one falcon, I want to shoot one more tomorrow”.
In this insightful video course, Grandmaster David Navara shares practical advice on when to calculate deeply in a position — and just as importantly, when not to.
Free sample video: Introduction
Free sample video: Invisible moves
Hikaru Nakamura
Magnus Carlsen first knocked out Nihal Sarin
Firouzja’s path to the final
Alireza Firouzja’s day began with a tense quarterfinal match against Nodirbek Abdusattorov. The first two games ended in draws, though not for lack of excitement. In the second game, Abdusattorov had promising chances and pushed Firouzja into serious time trouble. However, the French grandmaster held firm and survived. Firouzja’s breakthrough came in game three, where he flagged Abdusattorov in a fast-paced ending. He then converted a winning position in game four, following a critical blunder by the Uzbek star, to win the match 3–1.
In the semifinal, Firouzja faced Arjun Erigaisi, who had earlier defeated Ian Nepomniachtchi in a close quarterfinal. That match had opened with a draw, before Arjun took the lead in game two. Nepomniachtchi hit back with a strong performance in game three, only for Arjun to seal the match in game four with a well-calculated tactical finish. The back-and-forth nature of the contest made it one of the day’s more unpredictable encounters.
The Firouzja–Arjun semifinal, by contrast, was more straightforward. Firouzja, playing with precision and confidence, won games one, three, and five, all with the white pieces. Arjun had few chances to counter, and Firouzja’s control of the match grew stronger with each game. The final score of 4–1 reflected the French grandmaster’s strong form in this format.
Alireza Firouzja
As demonstrated by the heart-rate monitors, Arjun Erigaisi is not one to get easily flustered
