Magnus CarlsenThe recent struggles against India’s elite young grandmasters continued on Thursday when Arjun Erigaisi pulled off a major upset at the FIDE World Team Sprint and Sprint Championships in Hong Kong.Just weeks after suffering back-to-back defeats against R Praggnanandha at Norway Chess, the world No. 1 found himself on the wrong end of yet another result against an Indian opponent. This time, it was Arjun who emerged victorious, defeating Carlsen in Round 6 while representing Team MGD1.Playing the black pieces, Arjun capitalized on a costly late mistake by the Norwegian superstar to secure victory in just 30 moves. The encounter began with a Reti opening before moving into the Three Jumpers Variation of the Rejected Queen’s Gambit.The game itself was far from flawless. Both players found themselves under pressure and made mistakes along the way. Arjun appeared to give Carlsen an opportunity when the latter misplaced the rook with 26…Rd8, but the world champion failed to take advantage.Instead, the decisive error came four moves later. Carlsen’s cannon error allowed Arjun to take control of the position and the Indian grandmaster was quick to convert. Taking the queen on f3 (Qxf3) left Carlsen without a viable defense, forcing the Norwegian to resign.Time management also played a significant role in the final stages. While Arjun still had almost a minute on the clock, Carlsen had just 12 seconds, adding extra pressure during the critical moments of the contest.The win proved crucial in the overall team score as Team MGD1 edged out WR Chess 3.5-2.5. Aryan Abhijeet Shah also contributed to an important win for MGD1 by defeating Wadim Rosenstein.WR Chess managed just one win in the round, with Fabian Caruana over Abhimanyu Puranik.After six rounds played, the MGD1 team takes second place in the ranking with 13 points. They are followed by Dragon Chilling, table runners led by former world champion Ding Liren from China. WR Chess, on the other hand, is in 12th place with 10 points.Carlsen entered the tournament as the current world champion in rapid and rapid chess. Arjun, meanwhile, continues to establish himself among the game’s elite after winning bronze medals in both formats at last year’s World Championships in Doha.The result further underlined the growing influence of India’s new generation of grandmasters, with Arjuna adding his name to the list of Indian players who have recently troubled the world’s top-ranked player on the biggest stages.
