ERIGAISI'S JOURNEY TO PLAY WITH CARLSEN

Arjun Erigaisi’s journey to facing Magnus Carlsen peaked at the TePe Sigeman & Co 2026 tournament, where he pushed the world No. 1 to blitz tiebreaks after both tied for first in classical chess. Erigaisi held Carlsen to a draw in round 1, leading to a dramatic final where Carlsen ultimately won the title after a tense, high-stakes showdown

Between July and August 2022, Arjun played as board 3 for the India-1 team at the Chess Olympiad. He finished with a score of 8½/11 (+6−0=5), with the team finishing in 4th overall. In August 2022, Arjun won the 28th Abu Dhabi International Chess Festival with 7½/9 and a performance rating of 2893. That made him the Indian No.1 chess player

Erigaisi's journey reflects his rise to the top of the rating lists, making him one of the few players consistently able to challenge Carlsen's dominance in 2026.