India's Arjun Erigaisi delivered a stunning blow to Magnus Carlsen at the FIDE World Blitz Championship in Doha, beating the world number one on time in Round
9 and sparking another viral table-slam moment from the Norwegian.
This marks the second time in 2025 that Carlsen has shown his frustration this way-the first came against D Gukesh at Norway Chess, which blew up online. The 22-year-old Erigaisi, fresh off a bronze medal on Sunday, has been on fire with eight wins, two draws, and one loss through 11 rounds. His black-piece triumph over Carlsen, followed by a Round 10 win against top Uzbek Nodirbek Abdusattorov, vaulted him into a half-point lead at that stage.
Erigaisi, praised for his sharp endgame skills and bold play, now shares the top spot with Abdusattorov on nine points after drawing Round 11 against Fabiano Caruana. It's his second victory over Carlsen this year, building on an earlier classical win at Norway Chess.
In the key clash, Carlsen kicked off with the French Variation of the Sicilian Defence. Things unravelled when his bishop went to c2 and knight to d2, letting Erigaisi grab the b2 pawn. Carlsen clawed back the material but lost momentum, crumbling under time pressure and flag-falling to seal the upset.
Magnus Carlsen Slams the Table
Magnus drops the queen, loses on time and slams the table 😱#RapidBlitz #NorwayChess pic.twitter.com/KHVwM5azN1
- Norway Chess (@NorwayChess) December 29, 2025
Known for blending aggression with precision in endgames, Erigaisi has now beaten Carlsen twice in 2025, including a classical format edge at Norway Chess.
Erigaisi managed a stalemate in the next encounter against Fabiano Caruana, which keeps him at the top jointly with Uzbek grandmaster Nodirbek Abdusattorov. But after that, Erigaisi beat Abdusattarov and currently holds the joint top spot along with Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and Fabiano Caruana, as the trio are on 10 points each after 13 rounds.
A host of Indian players - Sunilduth Narayanan, R Praggnanandhaa, Raunak Sadhwani, Gowtham Krishna and M Pranesh, are on 9 points, while Gukesh D is currently on 8.5 points.
