NEW DELHI: India had a proud moment at the World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships as Arjun Erigaisi delivered a double medal performance on Tuesday in Doha, Qatar.The 22-year-old chess star won bronze medals in both the Rapid and Blitz events. With the medals, he also became the first Indian player to register podium finishes at both events since Viswanathan Anand won the Rapid section and finished third in Blitz back in 2017.
This came after he had already won a bronze in the Rapid section earlier in the tournament. Winning medals in both formats at the same championship is very rare and shows the player’s consistency. However, the result could have been even better for the Telangana-born Grandmaster. On Tuesday, Arjun faced Nodirbek Abdusattorov in the semifinals of the World Blitz Championship. Abdusattorov won the first two games, while the third game ended in a draw. As a result, Arjun had to settle for the bronze medal, while five-time World Champion and top-ranked chess player Magnus Carlsen and Abdusattorov moved on to play the final, where Carlsen’s astute end-game manoeuvres eventually earned him a coveted win over Abdusattorov with a 2.5-1.5 score. Subsequently, Carlsen clinched the Blitz gold here as well after becoming champion in the Rapid section on Sunday. On the other hand, Bibisara Assaubayeva of Kazakhstan became the Women’s World Blitz Champion.Despite the disappointment at the end, Arjun’s overall performance in the Blitz Championship was impressive. On both occasions, Arjun came very close to reaching the final and fighting for the championship title.He topped the Swiss segment of the Blitz tournament with a strong score of 15 points out of 19. But perhaps luck was not in his favour.Still, the bigger picture remains very positive. Arjun Erigaisi finished third in the Blitz event and added another bronze medal to his tally, meaning he has wrapped up his final tournament of the year, the World Rapid and Blitz Championships, with two bronze medals.While the ending may have been painful for him and his fans, as the result could’ve been better, Arjun’s performance showed that he belongs among the world’s best.ALSO READ: World champion at 7 in her first international event; ‘nervous’ while meeting PM Modi: How Pragnika Lakshmi became a chess prodigy
