Arjun Erigaisi Faces Slump in Career at Tata Chess Masters

Arjun Erigaisi Faces Setback at Tata Chess Masters, Continues Slump in Form

Days after being dethroned by compatriot D Gukesh in the FIDE rankings, Arjun Erigaisi faced yet another setback in his career as he lost to Dutch world no.82 Max Warmerdam at the ongoing Tata Chess Masters. Arjun Erigaisi, who previously held the no.4 spot in the FIDE rankings, has been struggling to find his form in the competition.

Known as the ‘Wimbledon of Chess’, Arjun Erigaisi has failed to secure a single win in seven games at the Tata Steel Masters in Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands. With four losses and three draws so far, Erigaisi has not yet faced top players like D Gukesh and Nodirbek Abdusattorov in the tournament. Warmerdam’s victory over Erigaisi marked his first win of the event.

Despite being rated almost 150 points below Erigaisi, Warmerdam managed to outplay the Indian player, causing Erigaisi to drop 29 rating points in the past 10 days. Last year, Erigaisi had made significant progress in the rankings, gaining 63 points to break into the top five.

In the match against Warmerdam, Erigaisi struggled from the early stages, making critical inaccuracies that allowed his opponent to gain the upper hand. World champion Magnus Carlsen commented on Erigaisi’s performance, suggesting that it may be a temporary mental issue rather than a long-term concern.

As Erigaisi continues to face challenges in the Tata Chess Masters, fans and experts are eager to see if he can turn his form around and make a comeback in the competition.