Wei Yi keeps playing fast moves, understanding that the clock advantage is just as - if not more - important than the position on the board as we reach a middlegame.
Hikaru looking to expand on the queenside and get his pawns rolling.
Wei Yi with the strong knight, and now it's all about what proves better: Wei Yi's attacking prospects on the center/kingside, or Hikaru's on the left-hand flank?!
Wei Yi a bit too quick to pull the trigger here, easing Hikaru's play as pieces come off the board.
Hikaru has come out of the opening with by far the better chances, and also narrowed the deficit on the clock!
Hikaru's pawns creating strong threats already, while Wei Yi's attack has fizzled out.
Hikaru looking to plant a strong knight on the advanced outpost, cramping Wei Yi's position heavily.
Hikaru goes a different route with the knight than expected, and instead is just looking to pressure the weak pawn directly.
Nice tactical awareness by Wei Yi! Though it still has to be said that there's risk here for him: now his right-hand pawn might get picked off soon!
A big moment here for Wei Yi. The computer says only taking with the queen holds the balance, but for humans taking with the bishop looks super tempting.
He finds the right move, but Wei Yi has slipped below Nakamura on the clock now. That's a disaster given he started up several minutes on the clock!
Hikaru goes up a pawn, but it's not a disaster for Wei Yi for now as he has the better coordination and bishops.
Hikaru has to watch out for this pawn push at any moment, which could trouble his minor pieces.
Hikaru looks to resolve the rook tension. Now Wei Yi must either retreat, or trade off more pieces.
Hikaru holding steady for now, but the momentum slightly feels to be on Wei Yi's side in recent moves. He's no longer standing worse, which he had been for most of the middlegame.
Hikaru allowing some interesting tactical opportunities for Wei Yi. Will he go for them?! That would make the game ultra sharp heading into the final minutes of Armaggedon!
Just a couple minutes on the clock, and now we get massive complications. All three results possible, but for Wei Yi it's clear: he must win, or he will be eliminated!
Brilliant move here, forcing the queens off the board. Hikaru looks to be well on his way to making the needed draw!
Things completely collapsed for Wei Yi in the last few moves. Hikaru doing what Hikaru has done countless times, coming in clutch in the final minutes of the decider.
He sends Wei Yi out of the Esports World Cup, after a tremendous fight that could have gone either way in games 1 and 2. But in a game of razor-thin margins, there has to be a winner, and Hikaru showed just why he is considered one of the tournament favorites, with a convincing performance in the Armaggedon! Wei Yi was unable to trouble him or threaten victory, and in the end the Chinese number 1 was forced to resign as he found himself beaten both on the board and on the clock.
Hikaru Nakamura through to the quarterfinals!