Chess Olympiad: How Arjun Erigaisi suffered Rd 1 upset against lower-rated opponent
India's second-ranked chess player, Arjun Erigaisi, suffered a surprising defeat against Thailand's Prin Laohawirapap during the first round of the 2026 Chess Olympiad. Despite holding a significant rating advantage, Erigaisi lost the game after a series of tactical errors in the middle game.
Why it matters
The match highlights the volatility of high-level competitive chess and the potential for significant upsets in international team tournaments.
NEW DELHI: Arjun Erigaisi (rated 2759) is India's second-ranked chess player at the moment. On Wednesday, with R Praggnanandhaa, India's current No. 1, rested, the 23-year-old Telangana grandmaster took Board 1 for India at the 2026 Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.India's opposition was Thailand, whose top board was occupied by 2363-rated International Master Prin Laohawirapap, the Thai No. 1. With a rating gap of almost 400 Elo points, and Arjun holding the white pieces, the result looked a formality.Instead, it became one of the biggest Round 1 upsets in Olympiad history. Chess.com even made the Thai IM's win over Arjun its Game of the Day, with only Iraqi CM Ali Ehsan Aryan's draw against Levon Aronian coming close as an upset against a 2700-rated grandmaster.How Arjun lost the plot"The Indian grandmaster playing white started the game with the Colle system, which is not necessarily one of the sharpest systems.
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