If Wednesday was a day of disappointment for the Indians in action at the Esports World Cup 2026 – with Arjun Erigaisi, Nihal Sarin, and Pranesh M all dropping into the lower bracket – Thursday turned into a day of resurrection. Two of the three, Arjun and Nihal, fought their way back into the playoffs, navigating the elimination rounds to join the likes of Magnus Carlsen, Hikaru Nakamura, Alireza Firouzja and Nodirbek Abdusattorov at the Paris Expo de Versailles.The path was toughest for Team S8UL’s Nihal and Pranesh. After losing their quarterfinal clashes, they found themselves at the bottom of the lower bracket. Nihal had the trickiest route, starting with a clash against the ever-solid Wei Yi.The Chinese Grandmaster is a tough cookie to crack, and Nihal felt that instantly after letting a completely winning position slip away in the first game. The second game, with reversed colours, also failed to produce a decisive result. And it wasn’t until the Armageddon that Nihal finally broke through, winning with white pieces to book a match against another world-class opponent, former World Cup winner Jan-Krzysztof Duda. Arjun Erigaisi made it into the playoffs after beating compatriot Pranesh M. (Credit: EWC)The Indian continued to showcase his mastery, particularly with the light pieces, as he defeated Duda in their second encounter after drawing the first. The 1.5-0.5 victory propelled him into the playoffs. His advancement also means Team S8UL, one of the two Indian partner clubs, still harbours hopes of winning their first individual title at the event.Pranesh also stepped up when he handed Dutch GM Benjamin Bok a defeat to keep his campaign alive. After striking first to take a 1-0 lead, he quickly conceded the next game but managed to hold Bok to a draw in Armageddon with black pieces, enough to book a spot against his compatriot Arjun.Also Read | The feud, fever & the finish: Carlsen outlasts Niemann at EWC in ParisArjun, who had dismantled Nihal the previous day, swept past Pranesh with ease, winning the clash 2-0. The result ended Pranesh’s campaign, making him the second Indian after Aravindh Chithambaram to be eliminated from the tournament. Nihal swept aside challenges from Wei Yi and Jan-Krzysztof Duda to find himself in top 8 (Credit: EWC)Hans Niemann and Deniz Lazavik were the last two players to secure their spots in the top eight through Group B. The American, fresh off his dramatic Armageddon victory over Ian Nepomniachtchi the previous day, moved ahead after beating Iranian GM Sina Movahed. Lazavik, meanwhile, got the better of Nepomniachtchi, sending him crashing out of the $1.5 million event.Story continues below this ad(The writer is in Paris at the invitation of the Esports Foundation)