India’s challenge at the FIDE World Cup 2025 now rests solely on GM Arjun Erigaisi after GM P Harikrishna was eliminated in a hard-fought Round 5 tiebreak by GM Jose Eduardo Martinez Alcantara on Sunday. Harikrishna entered the tiebreak after drawing both classical games against the Peruvian Grandmaster. The first pair of rapid games (15 minutes each) also ended in draws, taking the match into the next stage of rapid games with a 10-minute time control. With the white pieces in the first 10-minute game, Harikrishna tried to seize the initiative and gained nearly a minute on the clock after 14 moves. However, Martinez responded with accurate counterplay. After Harikrishna traded queens, the Peruvian slowly steered the position into a favourable rook-and-pawn endgame, eventually converting the advantage in 59 moves. Facing a must-win scenario with black in the second rapid game, Harikrishna attempted to build pressure but could not break through, settling for a draw in 30 moves — a result that ended his World Cup campaign. Meanwhile, Arjun Erigaisi had already secured his place …