Chennai Grand Masters 2024: Erigaisi beats Alexey Sarana, jumps to No. 2 in Live Rankings

Chennai: Arjun Erigaisi defeated Alexey Sarana and jumped to second in the Live World Rankings following this win at the Chennai Grand Masters 2024 on Thursday. The 21-year-old also reinforced his lead at the top of the Masters category, which he jointly leads with Amin Tabatabaei after three rounds. Starting with black pieces, Erigaisi replied to Sarana’s Queen’s Pawn Opening by engaging him in the Indian Game before quickly transposing it to East Indian Defense. Both players castled their kings early and remained locked in an intense battle before Erigaisi seized the upper hand and converted it into his second win of the tournament. Courtesy of this triumph, the youngster reclaimed his 2800 ELO rating and surged above Fabiano Caruana into the number two spot in Live Rankings. In Round 3 of the Masters category, Tabatabaei caused a major upset by defeating French GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, showcasing impressive tactical precision. American Levon Aronian claimed a strong victory over Iran’s Parham Maghsoodloo, solidifying his presence in the tournament. Meanwhile, India’s Vidit Gujrathi bounced from successive losses with a gritty, tactical draw against local favourite Aravindh Chithambaram. With three rounds gone, Erigaisi and Tabatabaei jointly lead the Masters category with 2.5 points, with Aronian in third, 0.5 points behind. Pranav V. continued his impressive streak in the Challengers category of the Chennai Grand Masters 2024, securing his third consecutive win by defeating Karthikeyan Murali. Pranesh M. claimed victory over Vaishali Rameshbabu, strengthening his position. The closely fought match between Raunak Sadhwani and Leon Mendonca ended in a draw, as did the encounter between Harika Dronavalli and Abhimanyu Puranik. In the Challengers category, Pranav tops the chart with 3.0 points after winning all three of his games so far. The Chennai Grand Masters 2024 is taking place at the Anna Centenary Library in Chennai from November 5 to 11. The Chennai Grand Masters 2024 features two categories–Masters & Challengers. With a rating average of 2729, the Masters presents a more competitive field this time around. The debuting Challengers, meanwhile, is designed to provide emerging Indian talent the chance to compete in a top-class tournament. –IANS