Top seed Arjun Erigaisi secures come-from-behind win over Vidit Gujrathi in Chennai Grandmasters tournament

Arjun Erigaisi stages a thrilling comeback win over Vidit Gujrathi in Chennai Grandmasters tournament

In a stunning turn of events at the second edition of the Chennai Grandmasters classical chess tournament, top seed Arjun Erigaisi secured a come-from-behind victory over Vidit Gujrathi in the first round at the Anna Centenary Library on Tuesday.

Vidit, who initially held the advantage, made a critical blunder that ultimately cost him the game, allowing Arjun to capitalize on the mistake and secure the win.

Reflecting on his victory, Arjun remarked, “He must have been winning somewhere, for sure. I didn’t see a win for myself and felt it should be a loss somewhere. But in the end, it was almost a draw, and then he blundered. I took my chance and knew that I was the one playing for the win. I then calculated everything till the win.”

Meanwhile, in other matches, Aravindh Chidambaram and Levon Aronian had to settle for draws. Aravindh had to adopt a defensive strategy throughout the game, while Aronian struggled from an advantageous position.

Aravindh expressed satisfaction with his defensive play, stating, “It was a tough game. I was on the defending side throughout the game. It’s not a good sign. Even though I was with white, my opening did not go well. But I’m happy with the way I defended.”

Aronian, despite his misplay, found the contest strategically interesting, noting, “There were a lot of subtleties.”

In the Challengers section, Vaishali Rameshbabu initially pressured Leon Luke Mendonca but ultimately faltered, allowing Leon to secure a decisive win.

The tournament’s first day results saw Aravindh Chithambaram drawing with Amin Tabatabaei, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave defeating Parham Maghsoodloo, Vidit Gujrathi losing to Arjun Erigaisi, and Levon Aronian drawing with Alexey Sarana in the Masters section.

In the Challengers section, Vaishali Rameshbabu lost to Leon Luke Mendonca, Raunak Sadhwani defeated Karthikeyan Murali, M. Pranesh lost to Abhimanyu Puranik, and V. Pranav beat Harika Dronavalli.

The tournament promises more thrilling matches and intense competition as it progresses, with players showcasing their skills and strategic prowess on the chessboard.