Frenchman Alireza Firouzja has won the fourth edition of the Chennai Grand Masters chess tournament, securing the title with a draw against Indian GM Arjun Erigaisi in the final round. Firouzja finished with 4.5 points, taking home a prize purse of Rs 25 lakh.
Indian Grandmaster Arjun Erigaisi has moved into a joint lead with French GM Alireza Firouzja at the Chennai Grand Masters after defeating world champion D Gukesh. With only two rounds remaining, the tournament sees intense competition, including GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov also in contention, vying for a significant prize purse and FIDE Circuit points.
Indian Grandmasters Arjun Erigaisi and Nihal Sarin concluded their campaign at the Esports World Cup Chess tournament in the quarterfinals, securing top-eight finishes. Erigaisi was eliminated by Hikaru Nakamura in an Armageddon tiebreak, while Sarin lost to defending champion Magnus Carlsen. Their performance marks India's strongest showing in the event, with both players earning USD 75,000 each from the substantial prize pool.
Indian Grandmaster Arjun Erigaisi has voiced significant reservations regarding a proposal by World Chess and FIDE to convert online rapid and blitz ratings into official FIDE ratings. He highlights fundamental integrity issues, such as mouse slips and the lack of physical supervision in home-based online play, making it difficult to ensure fair play. Erigaisi also commented on World Champion D Gukesh's recent form and dismissed the idea that AI diminishes creativity in chess.
World chess champion D Gukesh is ranked 19th behind the legendary Viswanathan Anand at 13th.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday congratulated Indian Grandmaster Arjun Erigaisi for winning a bronze medal at the World Blitz Championships in Doha, saying it mirrored the country's rapid strides in the sport.
Grandmaster Arjun Erigaisi defeated five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand in an all-Indian final to clinch the Jerusalem Masters title in Jerusalem.
Arjun Erigaisi became only the second Indian player to cross the 2800 mark, after five-time World champion Viswanathan Anand.
German GM Vincent Keymer stayed firmly in command of the Quantbox Chennai Grand Masters 2025 after holding India's GM Vidit Gujrathi to a second straight draw in Round 5 on Monday.
Nihal Sarin lit up Round 4 of the Quantbox Chennai Grand Masters 2025 with a hard-fought win over compatriot Arjun Erigaisi
Indian Grandmasters Nihal Sarin and Arjun Erigaisi have successfully navigated the lower bracket of the Esports World Cup chess tournament in Paris, securing their spots in the quarter-finals. The duo will now compete in the knockout stage, aiming for the US$1.5 million prize pool.
In a groundbreaking moment for Indian chess, Arjun Erigaisi has become the second player from India and the sixteenth player globally to surpass the 2800 live rating mark.
Having watched the 2013 World Championship match between the legendary Viswanathan Anand and Magnus Carlsen, Erigaisi is delighted to get a chance to be on the same as the two veterans.
Arjun also remained unbeaten through all the nine rounds and finished half a point ahead of Uzbekistan's Javokhir Sindarov.
French Grandmaster Alireza Firouzja holds a half-point lead over India's Arjun Erigaisi after all matches in Round 4 of the Chennai Grandmasters 2026 chess tournament concluded in draws. World champion D Gukesh also drew his game, while chess legend Viswanathan Anand interacted with fans at the event.
Arjun Erigaisi briefly reached a career-high live rating of 2771.2 earlier this week and is the only Indian since Vishwanathan Anand to do so.
Indian Grandmaster Arjun Erigaisi was stunned by Nikolas Theodorou of Greece in the second round of Sharjah Masters chess tournament in Sharjah.
Grandmaster Arjun Erigaisi scored his fourth victory on the trot and gave India an early lead in the match against Serbia in the fourth round of the ongoing 45th Chess Olympiad.
GM M Pranesh secured a significant victory over world champion D Gukesh, while GM Nihal Sarin defeated Arjun Erigaisi in the penultimate round of the Chennai Grand Masters. These results allowed French GM Alireza Firouzja to take the sole lead in the tournament.
Grandmaster Arjun Erigaisi pipped Rinat Zumabayev of Kazakhstan in the fifth round to share the top spot.
French Grandmaster Alireza Firouzja secured the only decisive victory on the opening day of the Chennai Grand Masters chess tournament, defeating Indian GM M Pranesh in a lengthy 79-move game. Other prominent matches saw world champion D Gukesh draw with Nihal Sarin, Arjun Erigaisi draw with Dmitry Andreikin, and Nodirbek Abdusattorov draw with Hans Niemann, as eight grandmasters compete for a significant prize purse and FIDE Circuit points.
World champion D Gukesh is set to face Nihal Sarin in a highly anticipated first-round match at the Chennai Grand Masters 2026 chess tournament. The event features eight Grandmasters, including four Indians, competing for a prize purse of Rs 75,00,000 and crucial FIDE Circuit points in a double-round robin format.
India is sending a strong contingent, including world champion D Gukesh, R Praggnanandhaa, and R Vaishali, to the FIDE Chess Olympiad in Samarkand from September 16 to 27.
French Grandmaster Alireza Firouzja defeated reigning world champion D Gukesh in a 69-move battle at the Chennai Grand Masters 2026, taking the sole lead after the second round. Indian players M Pranesh, Arjun Erigaisi, and Nihal Sarin all secured draws against their respective opponents in the prestigious tournament.
The two-day World Blitz Championship in both the Open and Women's categories commences in Doha, on Monday, December 29.
Top seed Arjun Erigaisi scored a convincing victory over compatriot R Praggnanandhaa in the first round of the Tata Steel Masters.
With the triumph, the Indian GM qualifies for next year's Tata Steel Masters Group.
World champion D Gukesh stayed in the hunt with a clinical endgame win in Round 10 of the Tata Steel Masters, while Arjun Erigaisi slipped to another defeat and slid down the standings at Wijk Aan Zee.
Arjun Erigaisi is only the second Indian male player after the legendary Viswanathan Anand to win a World Blitz medal in the 'Open category'.
India's Arjun Erigaisi delivered a commanding performance against American Awonder Liang, while compatriot Nihal Sarin lost to Germany's Vincent Keymer in the opening round of the Chennai Grandmasters Chess tournament on Thursday.
Erigaisi in second place, German GM Keymer leads after three rounds of Chennai chess
Tata Chess: Wesley So in sole lead, Erigaisi & Nihal not far behind in Blitz
World champion D Gukesh resigned on his 37th turn against Germany's Matthias Bluebaum at Tata Steel Masters Chess.
D Gukesh ended his spate of draws by defeating Thai Dai Van Nguyen of Czech Republic but overnight joint leader Arjun Erigaisi was shocked in the fifth round of Tata Steel Masters chess tournament
Grandmaster Vidit Gujrathi discusses D Gukesh's mental strength challenge for his World Championship defence against Javokhir Sindarov, highlighting Gukesh's recent inconsistent form. Vidit also assesses India's strong prospects for the upcoming Chess Olympiad, praising the form of players like Praggnanandhaa, Erigaisi, and Sarin, while cautioning against overconfidence. He also reflects on his Arjuna Award and the need for better organisation in chess formats.
Bengaluru is set to host a FIDE-rated Rapid Chess tournament featuring up to 1000 players, serving as a prelude to Season 4 of the Tech Mahindra Global Chess League (GCL). The tournament offers a Rs 4 lakh prize purse and a chance for participants to experience the build-up to the GCL, which will feature top chess stars like Magnus Carlsen and Viswanathan Anand.
World Blitz: Erigaisi stuns Carlsen, Abdusattorov to emerge joint leader after 11 rounds
With just 16 players out of 206 participants that started the event remaining in the fray, most of the players decided against taking undue risk and decided to wait for the next game.
On current form, Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa can be considered one of the most dangerous opponents in world chess, even more dangerous than world No. 1 Carlsen, says Pravind Thipsay.
Harikrishna continued his success story with the seasoned Grandmaster, who famously assisted Gukesh in the World Championship title match, showcasing his skills as a brilliant attacker.
