Arjun Erigaisi climbed to second in the global chess rankings after his victory over Alexey Sarana at the Chennai Grand Masters 2024 on Thursday. This win not only boosted the 21-year-old’s rank but also reinforced his lead in the Masters category, where he shares the top spot with Amin Tabatabaei after three rounds.
Magnus Carlsen is the numero uno with 2831.0 rating points while Arjun is second with 2805.8, ahead of Fabiano Caruana of the United States (2805.0). Earlier, Arjun became the second Indian after Viswanathan Anand to reach 2800 Elo rating.
The Chennai Grand Masters 2024, organized by MGD1 and backed by the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu, showcases two divisions—Masters and Challengers. The Masters category, with an average rating of 2729, is especially competitive this year. The new Challengers division provides a platform for emerging Indian talent to compete in a prestigious tournament.
Starting with the black pieces, Arjun responded to Sarana’s Queen’s Pawn Opening with the Indian Game and quickly transitioned into an East Indian Defense. After both players castled early, Arjun managed to secure a decisive advantage, claiming his second win of the tournament. This victory restored his ELO rating to 2800, placing him above Fabiano Caruana in the world rankings.
In the Masters category’s third round, Amin Tabatabaei achieved a notable upset over French Grandmaster Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, demonstrating sharp tactical acumen. Levon Aronian also recorded a solid win against Parham Maghsoodloo, further strengthening his position, while Vidit Gujrathi, rebounding from consecutive losses, managed a hard-fought draw with local favorite Aravindh Chithambaram.
In the Challengers division, Pranav V extended his winning streak with a third consecutive victory, this time over Karthikeyan Murali. Pranesh M also emerged victorious against Vaishali Rameshbabu, advancing his standings. The matchups between Raunak Sadhwani and Leon Mendonca, as well as Harika Dronavalli and Abhimanyu Puranik, concluded in draws.
After three rounds, Arjun and Tabatabaei jointly lead the Masters category with 2.5 points, with Aronian trailing by 0.5 points. Pranav, meanwhile, sits atop the Challengers leaderboard with a perfect 3.0 points.
Held at the Anna Centenary Library in Chennai, the tournament runs from November 5 to 11, 2024.
