India, April 7 -- On the opening day of the Paris leg of the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam tour, Arjun Erigaisi quickly showcased his dominance. The 21-year-old Indian player triumphed over world No. 1 Magnus Carlsen and No. 5 Fabiano Caruana in the first two rapid rounds. However, his impressive streak was momentarily interrupted by fellow Indian and reigning world champion D Gukesh in Round 3. This marked Gukesh's first victory in a Freestyle chess game this year, following a winless performance in the previous leg held in Weissenhaus in February. Nonetheless, it was his only win of the day.

Among the four Indian participants—Arjun, Gukesh, Praggnanandhaa R, and Vidit Gujrathi—in the 12-player event featuring a 10+10 time control and a single round robin format over the initial two days, Arjun had the most successful start, accumulating 3.5 points. He is followed by Praggnanandhaa, who has 2.5 points. After two days and 11 rounds of rapid games, only eight players will advance to the classical knockout stage.

Before each round, the initial position is determined using a specially designed lottery machine that contains 960 small wooden balls. The arrangement of pieces on the back rank of the boards is randomized according to the selected position, and players are allotted ten minutes for discussion prior to the commencement of each round. The White and Black players convene separately, equipped with microphones, to deliberate on the position. Before the final round of the day, Gukesh appeared to have inadvertently joined the wrong group, engaging in discussions with the Black players while he was supposed to be playing with the White pieces.

The match between Carlsen and Gukesh in Round 4 did not conclude favorably for the Indian player. Despite facing a challenging position, the 18-year-old maintained a remarkably steady heart rate of 70 bpm. In a Queen endgame scenario, where White exhibited a well-coordinated piece arrangement and Gukesh found himself with minimal opportunities for counterplay, he ultimately resigned to the five-time world champion, leaving him with a total of 1.5 points after four rounds. This victory marked Carlsen's third win in four rounds. In the opening round, Carlsen managed to secure a win from what initially appeared to be a theoretical draw. Under time pressure, Vidit made a critical error by advancing his King to the h7 square, which led to an immediate checkmate.

Results (only Indian players):

Round 1: Magnus Carlsen defeated Vidit Gujrathi; Arjun Erigaisi triumphed over Fabiano Caruana; Gukesh D drew with Maxime Vachier-Lagrave; R Praggnanandhaa lost to Richard Rapport.

Round 2: Nepomniachtchi was defeated by Praggnanandhaa; Vidit won against Gukesh; Arjun overcame Carlsen.

Round 3: Gukesh emerged victorious over Arjun; Hikaru Nakamura defeated Vidit; Praggnanandhaa lost to Maxime Vachier-Lagrave.

Round 4: Carlsen defeated Gukesh; Vidit lost to Praggnanandhaa; Arjun was defeated by Nakamura.

Round 5: Gukesh lost to Caruana; Praggnanandhaa drew with Arjun; Keymer won against Vidit.

Round 6: Vidit lost to Nodirbek Abdusattorov; Arjun triumphed over Keymer; Carlsen defeated Praggnanandhaa; Gukesh lost to Nakamura.

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