INDIA: Reigning Chess World Champion Magnus Carlsen was beaten by Indian Grand Master Arjun Erigaisi in round seven of the preliminaries of the Aimchess Rapid online chess tournament.
19-year-old Erigaisi, who started off the event with a defeat to compatriot Vidit Santosh Gujrathi, is currently in fifth place in the standings with 15 points to his name behind Uzbekistan’s Nobirdek Abdusattorov (17 pts), Shahkriyar Mamedyarov and Carlsen (16 pts each) and Krzysztof Duda (15 pts) after eight rounds.
Erigaisi’s 54-move win over the world champion helped him bounce back after a sluggish start to the event.
He was on a roll as he won three straight games against Nils Grandelius of Sweden, Daniel Naroditsky of the USA, and the Norwegian Magnus Carlsen before settling for a draw against Krzysztof Duda from Poland.
Another Indian, D Gukesh, faced mixed fortunes during the second day of the preliminaries as he stands 6th with 12 points. He beat fellow countryman P Harikrishna in round five before losing to Abdusattorove and Naroditsky in the sixth and eighth rounds, respectively.
Prior to falling to Abdusattorove and Naroditsky in the sixth and eighth rounds, respectively, he defeated fellow countryman P Harikrishna in round five.
He managed to steal a win in the seventh round as he beat Grandelius. The other Indians in the event, Gujrathi, Aditya Mittal, and Harikrishna, are 10th, 11th, and 15th, respectively, after eight out of the 15-round preliminary rounds.
Gujrathi was off to a flying start with victory over world rapid champion Abdusattorov but draws against Grandelius and Naroditsky, and a loss against Carlsen slowed his progress.
Carlsen defeated Erigaisi last month in the final of the Julius Baer Generation Cup online tournament. But, he has been off-color in the event so far, with defeats to Mamedyarov and Erigaisi, along with a draw against young Indian Grand Master Mittal in round four. He will face Gukesh in the ninth round.
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