DOHA: Top Indian Grandmaster Arjun Erigaisi produced a composed and clinical display on day one of the World Blitz Championships, outplaying world No 1 Magnus Carlsen in a dramatic endgame before finishing as a joint leader after 13 rounds on Monday.
Erigaisi closed the day on 10 points, sharing the top position with Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and Fabiano Caruana. The Indian also defeated Nodirbek Abdusattorov of Uzbekistan and drew three games to underline his strong start.
The defining moment arrived in Round 9, where Erigaisi prevailed in a tense time scramble against Carlsen. With Erigaisi down to nine seconds and Carlsen left with just three, the Norwegian attempted a queen move but dropped the piece off the board. By the time he retrieved it, his clock had run out, prompting him to slam the table in frustration. Erigaisi, however, stayed unfazed as the result was confirmed.
Six players trail the leaders on 9.5 points. Last year’s co-champions Carlsen and Ian Nepomniachtchi ended the day on 9/13, with Carlsen also losing to Caruana after overlooking a rook move.
Dutch Grandmaster Jorden van Foreest was the first sole leader after Round 6, defeating Alireza Firouzja and handing Erigaisi his only loss of the day. However, he slipped back after losing to Abdusattorov in Round 7, and both eventually finished on 8/13.
By Round 10, Erigaisi stood alone at the top on 8.5/10, having drawn only once and losing just to van Foreest. A tight final phase saw three players tied at 9.5 before the standings reshuffled again by the end of Round 13.
Humpy, Deshmukh slip in Women’s Blitz
Two-time World Rapid champion Koneru Humpy was unable to replicate her bronze-medal performance from Sunday, slipping to joint 61st after 10 rounds with five points and five losses. Teenage Women’s World Cup winner Divya Deshmukh finished the day joint 30th on six points, while D Harika and R Vaishali are on 5.5.
Dutch International Master Eline Roebers emerged as the surprise sole leader with 8.5/10, while Aleksandra Goryachkina — who won the Women’s Rapid title on Sunday — is joint second with two others on eight points.
Five more rounds will be played on Tuesday, after which the top four players will move into the semi-finals.