Arjun Erigaisi is the only Grand Master Indian to qualify for the quarterfinals of the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour Paris Leg. He excelled where the world champions of Gukesh have failed. Erigaisi, 21, explains what helped him do well in the unpredictable format.
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Arjun Erigaisi, the 21 -year -old Grand Master, is the lonely Indian who fights in the Parisian leg of the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour 2025. The Boy Waragal beat Magnus Carlsen in the round phase, finishing fourth in the standings and becoming the only Indian to qualify for the qualifiers for Gujrand Dorsesh, R Praggnanandhaa and Vidithaa Gujr’s champion of gukesh, r praggnanandhaa and vidit gujr’s champion, r praggnanandhaa and vidit gujr’s champion, r praggnanandhaa and vidit gujr’s champion, r praggnanandhaa and vidit gujr’s crimesh, r pragggne.
This is the first time that Erigaisi has participated in the Grand Slam tour of the chess of the inaugural freestyle after missing Weissenhaus’s leg where Gukesh was the only Indian participant and finished eighth.
On Wednesday, Erigaisi held the world No. 2 Hikaru Nakamura in a draw in a first exciting match in the quarter -finals after 77 movements. The two players were likely, but none of them managed to close the match. They will participate in the second part of the quarterfinals on Thursday, followed by equality breaks if necessary.
Erigaisi on what makes him click in the Freestyle failures
Erigaisi entered the Freestyle chess competition in the form of blisters, after winning freestyle on Friday three consecutive times in March 2025. Reflect on its increase in the unusual failure format which took control of the sport by storm, Erigaisi while the work done before the tournament played a big role in its qualification for the quarter -finals while the other Indian GMS Not failing.
“It was very intense and exciting. I am happy to have reached direct elimination tours,” said Erigaisi to Freestyle Chess YouTube Channel.
“I analyzed the possible freestyle creation positions and I tried to make a principle of it and I spent a lot of time,” he said when he speaks of the preparation of the Paris event.
The world number 4 Erigaisi is known for his creative style and his attack game and he thinks that it helped him do well in the format of freestyle chess where the back positions are organized at random.
“Probably a little. Sometimes in classic, I have to do my best and accept the worst positions to complicate it, but here most of the time on movement 1, Move 2 itself, it’s already complicated, so maybe it helps a little,” he shared.
