Carlsen nears 2900 mark; Erigaisi suffers setback

New York, Sep 25: World chess champion Magnus Carlsen is on the brink of becoming the first player to hit the historic 2900 Tour Rating mark after crushing Indian teenager Arjun Erigaisi on Day One of the Julius Baer Generation Cup final — the seventh leg of the USD1.6 million Meltwater Champions Chess Tour.
Norway’s Carlsen now has one hand on the trophy having ended the challenge of Erigaisi, one of India’s brightest talents, 2.5-0.5 with one game to spare.
In his first Meltwater Champions Chess Tour final, Erigaisi needs to pick himself up before the second half of the final later on Sunday after a chastening day of chess for the youngster.
“It felt to me that he (Erigaisi) didn’t fully believe in it, which I can understand. So maybe he didn’t take his chances in the last game fully either because I think he had serious chances to press. But it didn’t feel like he was grasping the moment,” said Carlsen. (IANS)