Arjun Erigaisi Soars to World No. 2 in Chess Live Ratings
Arjun Erigaisi, the rising star of Indian chess, has ascended to the world No. 2 spot in live ratings after his impressive victory over Aleksey Sarana at the Chennai Grand Masters. This remarkable achievement places him behind only the legendary Magnus Carlsen, the five-time world champion.
Erigaisi, 21, has been on a meteoric rise this year, becoming the 16th player in history to surpass 2800 Elo in live ratings. While he narrowly missed carrying this feat into the November published rankings, he has now reached a new peak of 2805.8. Viswanathan Anand remains the only other Indian to have achieved the 2800 mark in the published list.
Erigaisi’s exceptional performance has been fueled by a fearless, high-risk, high-reward approach. As Dutch GM Anish Giri noted, “Arjun plays a unique brand of chess which people following with modern engines can’t understand.” This aggressive style has resulted in few losses for the Warangal native, even in open tournaments.
Erigaisi’s current dominance has propelled him to the top of the Fide Circuit standings, a pathway to the Candidates Tournament. A victory at the Chennai Grand Masters, an eight-player single round robin event, would earn him 24.5 points. Last year, D Gukesh, who will compete in the World Championship later this month, qualified for the Candidates by winning the inaugural Chennai Grand Masters title on tiebreak from Erigaisi.
Erigaisi’s rise has been inspired by Gukesh’s success. In a recent interview, he expressed his belief in the possibility of emulating his compatriot’s achievement. With his current form and the potential to gain significant points in Chennai, Erigaisi is a strong contender for a spot at the next Candidates.