India, March 15 -- The year 2025 is proving to be an exhilarating one for Arjun Erigaisi. At the Tata Masters in Wijk aan Zee, Erigaisi initially struggled but regained his form just as hope seemed lost. He achieved a remarkable victory against title contender Nodirbek Abdusattor in the penultimate round and subsequently triumphed over the leader and reigning world champion D Gukesh in the 14th round.

Erigaisi played a pivotal role in the tournament, as his win against Gukesh led to the title being decided in a tie-breaker. Gukesh faced R Praggnanandhaa in this tie-breaker, ultimately finishing in second place as the youngest-ever world champion.

In April, Erigaisi is poised to make his debut in the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour in Paris. He is also set to participate in the ESports World Cup later this year, having signed with Gen.G. He recently shared his thoughts on this decision with Firstpost, stating, "Absolutely. I believe there are many individuals who may not follow traditional sports but are avid fans of Esports. This presents an opportunity for them to engage with chess, which is beneficial for the game. It certainly opens new avenues."

"Chess can be played not only as a physical over-the-board sport but also as an e-sport, a unique aspect that distinguishes it from other sports. I am pleased that this is occurring and hope it will grow significantly, creating numerous opportunities."

He acknowledged Magnus Carlsen and Hikaru Nakamura for sparking his interest in Esports chess. "I first learned about the ESports World Cup when Magnus and Hikaru discussed it towards the end of last year. I then explored the format and related details, which intrigued me. When Gen.G reached out to my team, my excitement about the opportunity made me eager to participate," he explained.

"After several discussions, we agreed that I would represent them, and I am thrilled with that decision. They are champions in League of Legends, and this marks their inaugural venture into chess, so I am delighted they chose to collaborate with me."

Erigaisi also weighed in on cheating in online chess, something which has once again come under the spotlight, especially after Carlsen's appearance at the Joe Rogan podcast. The World No. 1 spilled details on his infamous cheating controversy with American GM Hans Niemann.

"With online, there is this benefit of like just being sitting at home and playing. That's always nice when you can just be home and play. But also there are other factors like cheating is a bigger concern. There's also the mouse factor. Some people can play very fast with their mouse and not all can do that," he said.

"And also internet connection. I haven't faced any disconnections as such, but it's definitely the case that the servers in, at least for Chess.com, the servers in US are better. So when you play from US, your move reaches the server faster. So you lose less time and that. So there are these factors," he added.

He is also currently World No. 5 and India No. 1. He lost his India No. 1 position to Gukesh during the Tata Masters in January this year.

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