Bengaluru: After two days and eleven rounds of rapid games, Arjun Erigaisi emerged as the sole Indian participant to advance to the eight-man knockout stage of the Paris leg of the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour.

Ranked fourth in the world, Erigaisi, who had previously secured three consecutive Freestyle Fridays before arriving in Paris, concluded the round robin with a score of 6.5 out of 11 points. Ian Nepomniachtchi and Magnus Carlsen led the standings, each achieving 8.5 out of 11 points.

In a prior conversation with HT, Arjun mentioned that he closely followed the Freestyle event in Weissenhaus earlier this year, from which he did not compete, and gained valuable insights simply by observing the matches.

The other three Indian players—Praggnanandhaa, Vidit Gujrathi, and reigning world champion D Gukesh—have been eliminated from contention for the $200,000 top prize and will now compete for the 9th to 12th positions in classical matches beginning Wednesday.

Vidit, who arrived in Paris shortly after his wedding, had a challenging tournament, winning only two out of eleven games, placing him at the bottom of the 12-player round robin standings. He frequently found himself in advantageous positions but struggled with time management, leading to mistakes and unfavorable outcomes. Gukesh, with three victories, finished just above Vidit in the rapid stage.

In Round 9, all four Indian players faced defeats, with Carlsen showcasing his skill by executing a remarkable Queen sacrifice, transforming a precarious position against Richard Rapport into a victory. “At one point, I thought a draw would be a fitting end after a chaotic game, but I decided to continue a bit longer,” Carlsen remarked.

“I didn’t believe I was in a better position, but I also didn’t feel I was at serious risk of losing… It’s a gamble you can take when you’re performing well in a tournament.”

For the classical knockout format commencing Wednesday, players ranked 1-4 in the round robin will have the opportunity to select their opponents from those ranked 5 through 8, in order. The time control for these matches will be 90 minutes, with a 30-second increment per move.

Results (only Indians):

Round 7: R Praggnanandhaa was defeated by Gukesh; Nodirbek Abdusattorov fell to Arjun; Richard Rapport triumphed over Vidit.

Round 8: Vidit was overcome by Ian Nepomniachtchi; Arjun and Rapport ended in a draw; Gukesh secured a victory against Vincent Keymer; Hikaru Nakamura and Praggnanandhaa played to a draw.

Round 9: Praggnanandhaa was bested by Fabiano Caruana; Nodirbek Abdusattorov claimed victory over Gukesh; Nepomniachtchi triumphed over Arjun; Maxime Vachier-Lagrave defeated Vidit.

Round 10: Caruana was defeated by Vidit; Arjun and Vachier-Lagrave ended in a draw; Gukesh lost to Rapport; Praggnanandhaa was defeated by Keymer.

Round 11: Abdusattorov was defeated by Praggnanandhaa; Nepomniachtchi triumphed over Gukesh; Vidit lost to Arjun.

Top-8: Nepomniachtchi, Carlsen, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, Arjun, Abdusattorov, Nakamura, Keymer, Caruana.

Read Also: Pressure on the Prodigy: McIlroy's Cross to Bear

Get the latest Bollywood entertainment news, trending celebrity news, latest celebrity news, new movie reviews, latest entertainment news, latest Bollywood news, and Bollywood celebrity fashion & style updates!

HOW DID YOU LIKE THIS ARTICLE? CHOOSE YOUR EMOTICON!