Arjun Erigaisi beats Viswanathan Anand to win Jerusalem Masters

Grandmaster Arjun Erigaisi defeated five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand in an all-Indian final to win the Jerusalem Masters. Erigaisi prevailed 2.5-1.5 in blitz tie-breaks, pocketing USD 55,000, while Anand finished runner-up with USD 35,000

Jerusalem: Grandmaster Arjun Erigaisi defeated five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand in an all-Indian final to clinch the Jerusalem Masters title here. After the duo drew the opening rapid games, Erigaisi struck in the first blitz tie-break match by winning with the white pieces to take a decisive lead.

The 22-year-old also held a winning position in the second blitz encounter before settling for a draw, which was enough for him to win the fixture 2.5-1.5 and claim the title, according to a report by chessbase.com..

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“It wasn’t easy. There were a lot of challenges. My quality wasn’t the best. I’m just glad I managed to make it through,” Arjun told the organisers in an interview after winning the title.

“Today, both the matches (versus Peter Svidler and then Anand) were very tense. In the first game against Anand sir we both missed our chances. But in blitz, I think I played quite well,” he added.

On losing control of Game 1 in the final despite having the white pieces advantage, Erigaisi said he was worried after “messing up” but managed to recover.

“During the game, I was very worried. I knew I was winning and I knew I messed it. So, I was definitely worried. But okay, all I had to do was to fight back and that is what I was trying to do.”

With the win, Erigaisi pocketed USD 55,000 while Anand received USD 35,000.

Arjun had defeated Russian Grandmaster Peter Svidler in his semifinal, while Anand outplayed reigning World Blitz champion Ian Nepomniachtchi. Svidler defeated compatriot Nepomniachtchi 2.5-1.5 in the third-place playoff.

The Jerusalem Masters is a closed invitational 12-player round-robin tournament in which the top four advance to the playoffs.