Chennai Grand Masters: Arjun pulls off a Houdini act, jumps to joint lead
Indian chess player Arjun Erigaisi defeated World champion D. Gukesh in the fifth round of the Chennai Grand Masters, moving into a joint lead with Alireza Firouzja. The tournament continues with high-stakes matches as players compete for the title.
Why it matters
The event highlights the rising prominence of Indian chess players on the global stage and the competitive nature of elite international tournaments.
The ability to fight back from adversity sets the best apart from the ordinary. Arjun Erigaisi showed that he could stay cool in tough situations and find a way back as he pulled off a Houdini act to trip up World champion D. Gukesh in the fifth round of the Chennai Grand Masters at The Westin Chennai on Monday.
The win put the top-ranked Indian player (3.5 points) on the top of the standings along with Alireza Firouzja. The Frenchman was held to a draw by Russian Dmitry Andreikin in a 41-move game.
In his match against Gukesh, Arjun was in a losing position but he managed a stunning turnaround to script victory, thanks largely to mistakes on the 30th and 54th moves by his opponent and rejection of a draw offer.
The defeat left Gukesh languishing at the bottom of the standings with 1.5 points after five rounds.
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