Paris, Aug. 14 -- India's challenge at the Chess tournament of the Esports World Cup (EWC) 2026 came to an end in the quarterfinals, with Gen.G Esports' Arjun Erigaisi and S8UL Esports' Nihal Sarin both finishing among the tournament's top eight players.

Arjun was edged out by Team Falcons' Hikaru Nakamura in an armageddon tiebreaker, while defending champion Magnus Carlsen of Team Liquid defeated Nihal 2.5-0.5, according to a press release from S8UL.

Arjun's quarterfinal against Hikaru was a repeat of last year's third-place match, which the American Grandmaster had won. The two players were closely matched throughout the regulation games, with all four ending in draws as neither could establish an advantage. The deadlock sent the matc...