GMs Arjun Erigaisi and Nihal Sarin Qualify for 2024 Chess.com Bughouse Championship Knockouts

GMs Arjun Erigaisi and Nihal Sarin have finally secured their spot in the 2024 Chess.com Bughouse Championship knockouts after their fourth attempt, scoring an impressive 68/78 on Thursday. The Indian superstars, along with FM Richard Zheng and NM Vincent Baker, clinched the last two qualifying spots and are now set to compete for a share of the $2,000 first prize.

However, it wasn’t an easy journey for everyone. FMs Marten Aronsson and Daniel Yeager faced some tough luck, with Aronsson finishing first in qualifier eight by a single point, but four of his points were disqualified as they were played with an alternate partner.

The knockout finals will feature a field full of bughouse experts, including two-time bughouse world champions GMs Awonder Liang and Jeffery Xiong, the 2024 Chess.com Crazyhouse Champion NM Jalen Wang, and the formidable player known as “Helmsknight” (aka Grace Ferguson). The action is set to kick off on Friday, August 23, at 12 p.m. ET / 18:00 CEST / 9.30 p.m. IST.

This exciting development comes as a part of the Chess.com Community Championship series, where players battle it out for a piece of the increased $7,500 prize fund this month. The tournament will culminate in an eight-team double-elimination bracket, with each team qualifying through one of the eight two-hour arenas with a 3+0 time control.

Stay tuned for the full report featuring game analysis, clips, and more on this thrilling bughouse championship event.