New Delhi: Top Indian Grandmaster Arjun Erigaisi demonstrated strong endgame technique and quick calculation to stun reigning champion Magnus Carlsen and renowned
Grandmaster Nodirbek Abdusattorov to emerge joint leader with nine points after 11 rounds of the FIDE World Blitz Championships here on Monday.
With two more rounds to go on the day, world No.1 Carlsen, who is aiming for his ninth World Blitz title to go with his sixth Rapid crown he won on Sunday, could easily overcome the setbacks with his never-say-die attitude.
Behind joint leaders Erigaisi and Frenchman Maxime Vachier-Lagrave are Daniil Dubov, American GM Fabiano Caruana and China’s Yu Yangyi on 8.5 points, while eight players, including Carlsen, leading title contender GM Alireza Firouzja and India’s Sunilduth Narayanan, are in sixth spot with eight points.
R Praggnanandhaa and reigning classical world champion D Gukesh are further down on 7.5 points in a cluster of 21 players placed in tied-14th position.
As many as 13 rounds are scheduled on the opening day in the 19-round ‘Open’ category, and with two more rounds to go on Monday there could still be a lot of movement.
Fresh from his bronze-winning performance on Sunday, 22-year-old Erigaisi, known for his highly pragmatic and aggressive approach, had eight wins, two draws and one loss, which put him in pole position.
However, the victory that counted the most came in the ninth round against Carlsen, where he won as black and then defeated the highly-rated Uzbek GM Abdusattorov in Round 10 to open up a half-point lead at the top.
This year Erigaisi has shown the potential to beat Carlsen regularly across formats, having beaten the Norwegian in Norway Chess, played in classical format, and then in the blitz format here.
However a draw for Erigaisi in Round 11 forced him to split a point against Caruana.
Round 14 to 19 will be held on the last day of the competition on Tuesday with the top four players making it to the semifinals, followed by the grand finale.
Humpy, Deshmukh slip in women’s blitz
Two-time World Rapid champion Koneru Humpy could not recreate the form she displayed on Sunday on way to the bronze on Sunday in the Rapid section, slipping to joint 61st position after 10 round, concluding her day on five points with leading Chinese GM Tan Zhongyi for company. The 38 year-old Indian lost five games.
Teenage women’s World Cup winner this year Divya Deshmukh was joint 30th with six points, while GMs D Harika and R Vaishali were further down on 5.5 points.
Dutch International Master Eline Roebers emerged as an unlikely sole leader with 8.5/10 points, while Aleksandra Goryachkina, winner of the Women’s World Rapid crown on Sunday, was joint second with two others on eight points.
Five more rounds will be played on Tuesday with the top-four players moving into the semifinals, followed by the final.
