PM Modi congratulates Arjun Erigaisi on World Blitz bronze in Doha

Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Arjun Erigaisi for winning bronze at the World Blitz Championship in Doha. Erigaisi also won bronze in the World Rapid, becoming only the second Indian male after Viswanathan Anand to medal in World Blitz

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday congratulated Indian Grandmaster Arjun Erigaisi for winning a bronze medal at the World Blitz Championships in Doha, saying it reflected the country’s rapid progress in the sport.

Erigaisi topped the Swiss Round with 15 points, beating some of the top contenders including World No 1 Magnus Carlsen, but lost to Uzbek GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov 2.5-1.5 in the semifinal to settle for a third-place finish.

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The feat not only added to the World Rapid bronze he won on Sunday, it also made him only the second male chess player from India after Viswanathan Anand to win a World Blitz medal.

“India’s strides in chess continue!” wrote PM Modi on X. “Congratulations to Arjun Erigaisi for winning the bronze at the FIDE World Blitz Chess Championship in Doha, following his bronze medal in the FIDE Rapid Chess Championship recently. His skills, patience and passion are exemplary. His successes will continue to inspire our youth. My best wishes to him. @ArjunErigaisi.”

The PM had also congratulated Erigaisi and Grandmaster Koneru Humpy when they won the World Rapid bronze in the Open and Women’s categories respectively on Sunday.

Humpy, who entered the tournament as defending champion, could not win a third World Rapid title despite tying for the top spot with two others, as she was edged out by a FIDE tie-break rule that has drawn criticism.

Humpy had won her first World Rapid title in 2019 and repeated the feat last year.