Telangana’s Arjun wins Tata Steel Challengers trophy

Hyderabad: Warangal lad Arjun Erigaisi added another feather in his cap by capturing the Tata Steel Challengers trophy with a round to spare, in Wijk Aan Zee, Netherlands, on Saturday. Being held simultaneously with the Masters event, Arjun, the 18-year-old from Telangana, drew his 12th round against Thai Dan Van Nguyen to amass 9.5 points […]

Hyderabad: Warangal lad Arjun Erigaisi added another feather in his cap by capturing the Tata Steel Challengers trophy with a round to spare, in Wijk Aan Zee, Netherlands, on Saturday.

Being held simultaneously with the Masters event, Arjun, the 18-year-old from Telangana, drew his 12th round against Thai Dan Van Nguyen to amass 9.5 points for the top honours. He will play his final round on Sunday.

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Speaking after the draw, the Grandmaster said he was delighted with the result. “It’s fantastic to win the title. The Tata Steel tournament has been good for me. I won the Rapid event in India in the same tournament,” he said.

On his performance, he said, “I got slightly lucky at the start. I lost in the very first round but after that things fell in place and I started doing well.”

The win will ensure a place in next year’s Masters event but the youngster is not thinking about it now itself. “I will think about playing in the Masters later. I am focusing on doing my best here now. I want to keep playing tournaments, work hard and become a better chess player before next year’s Masters.”

Reigning World Champion Magnus Carlsen recently heaped praises on Arjun saying that the youngster will touch the 2700 rating points soon. Reacting to the comments, Arjun added, “Glad to have such words from him. It is a great feeling. It is a great confidence booster for me.”

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