Doha, Dec 31: Indian Grandmaster Arjun Erigaisi suffered a massive meltdown in the semifinal to settle for a bronze in the World Blitz Championship here on Tuesday. World No.1 Magnus Carlsen showed his endgame genius yet again to add a record-extending ninth world Blitz title to the Rapid gold medal he won two days back.
Carlsen refused to accept a draw in the title showdown against young Uzbek GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov and came up with a unique pawn move out of nowhere in the fourth game of the title clash to win 2.5-1.5 and extend his reign in Blitz.
A draw in Round 19 against Abdusattorov saw both Carlsen (13.5 points) and the Uzbek (13 points) secure the last two slots in the semifinals on Tuesday behind sole leader Erigaisi (15 points) and American GM Fabiano Caruana (14 points).
Carlsen then went on to beat Caruana 3-1 to secure a place in the final, while an impeccable Abdusattorov inflicted a shattering 2.5-0.5 semifinal defeat on Erigaisi, as the Indian settled for a second bronze, after taking the third-podium spot in Rapid on Sunday.
Nonetheless, the two bronze medals is a remarkable achievement for the 22-year-old Erigaisi, who will return home more resolute.
The achievement also made Erigaisi only the second Indian male player after the legendary Viswanathan Anand to win a World Blitz medal in the ‘Open category’.
Earlier, Erigaisi, after stunning the likes of Carlsen and Abdusattorov to emerge sole leader with 10 points from 13 games, went through the remaining six rounds on Tuesday with steely resolve.
He won four and drew two to remain sole leader with 15 points to secure a place in the semifinals.
The Indian was drawn against 2021 World Rapid champion Abdusattorov, who secured a place in the last-four by the skin of the teeth, nudging Frenchman Maxime Vachier-Lagrave to fifth spot on ‘best tie-break’ rule after both the Grandmasters had ended on 13 points each.
With Erigaisi in stunning form and having the advantage of beating Abdusattorov on Monday, the Indian was expected to go full steam.
But things took a different and difficult turn for Erigaisi. He could not convert the advantage with white in the opening game, losing in 47 moves to be 0-1 down. A resurgent Abdusattorov turned things decisively his way in the second game by playing Rc5’ on the 75th move and finishing the game in 83 moves.
With the Uzbek needing only half-a-point to seal his place in the final, Abdusattorov settled for a quick draw with black pieces after just 33 moves despite being in a winning position, rendering the fourth game redundant.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday congratulated Indian chess grandmaster Arjun Erigaisi for securing the bronze medal at the FIDE World Blitz Chess Championship held in Doha.
In a post on X, PM Modi shared, “India’s strides in chess continue! Congratulations to Arjun Erigaisi for winning the bronze at the FIDE World Blitz Chess Championship in Doha, following his bronze medal in the FIDE Rapid Chess Championship recently. His skills, patience and passion are exemplary. His successes will continue to inspire our youth. My best wishes to him.”
India concluded the year-end tournament with a total of three bronze medals, with Koneru Humpy also securing third place in the Women’s Rapid Championship. “This has been a memorable edition of the World Rapid & Blitz. We have watched five days of high tension at an exceptional level of play. The games played here in Doha will be studied by fans and future grandmasters alike, providing excellent material for the history of our sport,” FIDE Vice President Vishwanathan Anand said. (Agencies)
