Indian GM Arjun Erigaisi wins Tata Steel Challengers event with a round to spare
PTI, Jan 30, 2022, 2:58 PM IST
Image credit: Twitter / @tatasteelchess
Wijkaanzee: Indian Grandmaster Arjun Erigaisi won the Tata Steel Challengers event with a round to spare after a draw with Thai Dai Van Nguyen of the Czech Republic in the 12th and penultimate round here.
The 18-year old Erigaisi, who has been in fine form throughout the event and has been unbeaten so far, took a quick draw late on Saturday against Nguyen, who is joint second, in just 15 moves to take his tally to 9.5 points.
He is 1.5 points ahead of the second-placed Nguyen and Jonas Buhl Bjerre.
The teenage player (Elo 2632) has so far won seven games and drawn five. He faces Marc Andria Maurizzi of France in the final round later on Sunday. Maurizzi had beaten India’s Surya Shekhar Ganguly in the 12th round. Ganguly has 5.5 points and is in 9th place.
With the triumph, the Indian GM qualifies for next year’s Tata Steel Masters Group.
He is the fourth Indian after P Harikrishna, B Adhiban, and Vidit Santhosh Gujrathi to win the Tata Steel Challengers event.
Erigaisi’s play has earned praise from world No. 1 Magnus Carlsen with the Norwegian saying, ”He is going to be 2700 soon. He is by far the best player in the ‘B’ group (Challengers section). He is by far the best player (in the Challengers) and he plays chess in a way that I enjoy!”
Former world champion Viswanathan Anand congratulated Erigiasi on the win and wrote on Twitter: ”Congrats to Arjun on such a smooth and strong performance! He has been with us in WACa and we are so proud to see him win two Tata Steel events on two continents!! Well done.”
Erigaisi is coached by GM Srinath Narayanan and mentored by Anand as part of the Westbridge Anand Chess Academy.
Udayavani is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel and stay updated with the latest news.
Top News
Related Articles More
This IPL is different, need to mentally accept challenge: KKR’s Varun Chakravarthy
T20 World Cup: National selectors to meet in Ahmedabad today
Chakravarthy, Salt propel KKR to seven-wicket win over Delhi Capitals
Cricket for the Blind: A Transformative Journey Empowering Visually Impaired Athletes
PCB finalises Lahore, Karachi, Rawalpindi as venues for Champions Trophy
MUST WATCH
Latest Additions
This IPL is different, need to mentally accept challenge: KKR’s Varun Chakravarthy
6 killed, 3 injured as truck rams into jeep in Bihar’s Bhagalpur
Why has PM ignored plight of Marathwada’s farmers: Cong jabs Modi
Why is PM nervous even in BJP bastions: Cong jabs Modi after setback in Indore, Surat
Manipal: K V Kamath conferred with honorary doctorate at MAHE’s special convocation