![\"Arjun](\"https:\/\/im.rediff.com\/sports\/2022\/sep\/26arjun1.jpg\")
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IMAGE: The win over Norwegian superstar Magnus Carlsen in the seventh round early on Sunday was Arjun Erigaisi’s first over the world champion. Photograph: FIDE\/Riga Mark Livshitz<\/span><\/p>\n Indian Grandmaster Arjun Erigaisi on Sunday hogged the spotlight, beating world champion Magnus Carlsen in round seven of the preliminaries of the Aimchess Rapid online chess tournament.<\/p>\n The 19-year-old Erigaisi, who had gone down to compatriot Vidit Santosh Gujrathi to make a losing start in the event, is currently in fifth place after eight rounds.<\/p>\n The win over Norwegian superstar Carlsen in the seventh round early on Sunday was the Indian’s first over the world champion.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Erigaisi won three straight games, beating Nils Grandelius (Sweden), Daniel Naroditsky (USA) and Carlsen before settling for a draw\u00a0against Jan-Krzyszstof Duda (Poland).<\/p>\n He has 15 points and is in fifth place behind Uzbekistan’s Nodirbek Abdusattorov (17 points), Shahkriyar Mamedyarov (Azerbaijan) and Carlsen (both 16) and Duda (15).<\/p>\n Erigaisi had last month lost to Carlsen in the final of the Julius Baer Generation Cup online tournament. His 54-move win over the world champion enabled him to bounce back after a slow start to the event and brought him back in the top eight.<\/p>\n Another Indian D Gukesh is in sixth place with 12 points after mixed fortunes on the second day of the preliminaries.<\/p>\n After beating fellow countryman P Harikrishna in round five, he lost to Abdusattorov and Naroditsky in the sixth and eighth round respectively. In between, he beat Grandelius in the seventh.<\/p>\n The other Indian players in the fray, Gujrathi, Aditya Mittal and Harikrishna are in 10th, 11th and 15th spots after eight rounds of the 15-round preliminary phase.<\/p>\n Gujrathi had an impressive win over world rapid champion Abdusattorov but draws against Grandelius and Naroditsky and a defeat at the hands of Carlsen pegged him back.<\/p>\n Carlsen has not been at his best so far, having suffered two defeats (to Mamedyarov and Erigaisi) and escaped with a draw against young Indian GM Mittal in round four.<\/p>\n He faces Gukesh in the ninth round.<\/p>\n The Aimchess Rapid tournament is part of the Meltwater Champions Tour and features 16 players, including five from India.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n[ad_2]\n<\/p>\n News From This Website <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"