Arjun Erigaisi experienced a tumultuous campaign at the recently concluded Tata Chess Masters, resulting in his loss of the India No. 1 ranking to the reigning world champion, D Gukesh. His tournament commenced poorly, as he struggled to secure a victory, suffering four defeats in the first seven rounds. However, he managed to stage a late comeback, achieving four consecutive draws before triumphing over Nodirbek Abdusattarov and Gukesh in the final two rounds, significantly affecting the overall standings.

Initially, both the Uzbek Grandmaster and Gukesh appeared poised to claim the title, but subsequent results led to Nodirbek being eliminated from contention as R Praggnanandhaa mounted a late resurgence to equalize with Gukesh in the rankings. The championship was ultimately decided in a tie-breaker round, where Praggnanandhaa emerged victorious.

In an interview with Indian Express, Arjun remarked, “This was one of the most challenging tournaments I have faced in my career thus far. There are always lessons to be learned from such competitions. Particularly in events of this nature, numerous insights can be gained. One key takeaway for me was that I was playing too aggressively and taking excessive risks.” He further noted, “I came to this realization during the tournament itself. Consequently, in the latter half of the event, I focused on adopting a more solid approach, which yielded better results.”

He also disclosed his intentions for the current year, indicating that he will participate in the Paris Freestyle Chess Grand Slam event. "I will be taking part in the Paris edition of the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour later this year," Erigaisi stated, further noting, "I will also compete in Norway Chess this year. Additionally, I plan to participate in the Grand Swiss and the FIDE World Cup in an effort to qualify for the Candidates tournament. Beyond that, I am uncertain about my other engagements. However, I anticipate participating in the usual World Rapid Blitz events and possibly the World Rapid Blitz Team competitions this year," he concluded.

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