Arjun Erigaisi stuns Carlsen to emerge joint leader on day 1

Top Indian Grandmaster Arjun Erigaisi demonstrated strong endgame technique and quick calculation to stun Magnus Carlsen and emerge joint leader, with the Norwegian world number 1 slamming the table in frustration, on day one of the World Blitz Championships here. Erigaisi then went on to defeat another top GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov of Uzbekistan and drew three other games to emerge joint leader late on Monday.

With Erigaisi — who ended day one on 10 points from 13 games and was tied for the top spot with Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and American Grandmaster Fabiano Caruana — in menacing form, it was Carlsen who lost a tense endgame in Round 9. Erigaisi had just nine seconds on his clock while Carlsen was down to three. Just as the Norwegian — who had also slammed the table after losing to India’s D Gukesh in Norway Chess earlier this year — was about to make a queen move, it slipped from his hand and flew off the table.

Alexander Grischuk, who happened to be passing by at that moment, jumped and tried to move out of the way quickly. By the time Carlsen picked up his queen and put it back on the board, his time had already run out. The Norwegian couldn’t hide his anger and slammed his fist on the table to give it a mighty tremor, though Erigaisi remained unruffled by the drama. The leaders are trailed by six players on 9.5 points. The co-champions in the 2024 edition of World Blitz, Carlsen and Ian Nepomniachtchi, sit on 9/13.

Dutchman Jorden van Foreest emerged as the first sole leader in the ‘Open’ section after Round 6. The 26-year-old, who won the Dutch championship this year, defeated the likes of Alireja Firouzja and Erigaisi, who suffered his only loss on Monday to the Dutch player.

However in Round 7, van Foreest fell to Abdusattorov, who briefly joined a six-way tie for the lead at 6/7. But things didn’t go well for them after that, and both finished the day on 8/13. By the end of Round 10, Erigaisi stood alone at the top with 8.5/10, having drawn only once (with Firouzja) and lost once (to van Foreest). Entering the final round of the day, three players were tied at 9.5/12.

Carlsen finished on 9/13, suffering a second setback on the day against Caruana after overlooking a rook. Six more rounds will be played on Tuesday to reach the semifinals, followed by the final. Carlsen, who is aiming for his ninth World Blitz title to go with his sixth Rapid crown he won on Sunday, would be keen to overcome the setbacks with his never-say-die attitude.

Humpy, Deshmukh slip in women’s blitz: Two-time World Rapid champion Koneru Humpy could not recreate the form she displayed on way to the bronze on Sunday in the Rapid section, slipping to joint 61st position after 10 round, concluding her day on five points with leading Chinese GM Tan Zhongyi for company. The 38-year-old Indian lost five games.

Teenage women’s World Cup winner Divya Deshmukh was joint 30th with six points, while GMs D Harika and R Vaishali were further down on 5.5 points. Dutch International Master Eline Roebers emerged as an unlikely sole leader with 8.5/10 points, while Aleksandra Goryachkina, winner of the Women’s World Rapid crown on Sunday, was joint second with two others on eight points. Five more rounds will be played on Tuesday with the top-four players moving into the semifinals, followed by the final.