Arjun Erigaisi creates history, becomes first Indian to reach semifinals of Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour

Indian grandmaster and world number 5 Arjun Erigaisi on Friday created history by becoming the first Indian ever to reach the semifinals of the prestigious Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour, currently taking place in Las Vegas. The 21-year-old prodigy secured his place in the final four with a clinical 1.5 – 0.5 victory over World No. 7 Nodirbek Abdusattorov in the quarterfinals.

Arjun won the first rapid game and drew the second, eliminating the Uzbek star in a format that rewards creativity over memorized openings. Arjun had earlier advanced from the round-robin stage with a strong showing, scoring 4 points from 7 games, including 3 wins and 2 draws, against a field packed with global heavyweights. His imaginative and fearless approach in the Chess960 (Freestyle) format has drawn widespread attention from the global chess community.

Arjun now joins Fabiano Caruana, Levon Aronian, and Hans Niemann in the upper-bracket semifinals, placing him among the most elite minds in modern chess. His next match, against seasoned Grandmaster Levon Aronian, is scheduled for July 19.

This breakthrough further strengthens India’s growing presence in world chess, particularly in newer, format-defining arenas such as Freestyle Chess. With this result, Arjun also earns valuable points towards the overall Grand Slam standings and continues his impressive 2025 season that has already seen him cross the coveted 2800 rating mark.