Chennai Grand Masters 2024: Arjun Erigaisi Beats Alexey Sarana in Round 3, Jumps to No. 2 in World Rankings

Arjun Erigaisi jumped to second in the World Rankings following his win over Alexey Sarana

Arjun Erigaisi jumped to second in the World Rankings following his win over Alexey Sarana at the Chennai Grand Masters 2024 on Thursday in Chennai. The 21-year-old also reinforced his lead at the top of the Masters category, which he jointly leads with Amin Tabatabaei after three rounds.

Organised by MGD1 and sponsored by the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu, the Chennai Grand Masters 2024 features two categories–Masters & Challengers. With a rating average of 2729, the Masters presents a more competitive field this time around. The debuting Challengers, meanwhile, is designed to provide emerging Indian talent the chance to compete in a top-class tournament.

Starting the black pieces, Arjun replied to Sarana’s Queen’s Pawn Opening by engaging him in the Indian Game before quickly launching an East Indian Defense. Both players castled their kings early in the tie and remained locked in an intense battle before Arjun seized the upper hand and converted it into his second win of the tournament. Courtesy of his triumph, the youngster reclaimed his 2800 ELO rating and surged above Fabiano Caruana into the number two spot.

In Round 3 of the Masters category, Amin Tabatabaei caused a major upset by defeating French Grandmaster Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, showcasing impressive tactical precision. Meanwhile, Levon Aronian claimed a strong victory over Parham Maghsoodloo, solidifying his presence in the tournament. Meanwhile, Vidit Gujrathi bounced from successive losses with a gritty, tactical draw against local favourite Aravindh Chithambaram.

Pranav V continued his impressive streak in the Challengers category at the Chennai Grand Masters 2024, securing his third consecutive win by defeating Karthikeyan Murali. Meanwhile, Pranesh M claimed victory over Vaishali Rameshbabu, strengthening his position. The closely fought match between Raunak Sadhwani and Leon Mendonca ended in a draw, as did the encounter between Harika Dronavalli and Abhimanyu Puranik.

With three rounds gone, Arjun and Tabatabaei jointly lead the Masters category with 2.5 points, with Aronian in third, 0.5 points behind. Meanwhile, Pranav tops the chart in the Challengers category with 3.0 points after winning all three of his games so far.

The Chennai Grand Masters 2024 is taking place at the Anna Centenary Library in Chennai from November 5 to 11, 2024, with tickets available for the general audience on BookMyShow for INR 100. Additionally, the tournament can be streamed online on ChessBase India’s YouTube channel.