New Delhi, Dec 31 (UNI): The Prime Minister Narendra Modi, congratulated Indian chess grandmaster Arjun Erigaisi for securing the Bronze Medal at the FIDE World Blitz Chess Championship held in Doha.
In a post on X, Modi wrote, “India’s strides in chess continue! Congratulations to Arjun Erigaisi for winning the Bronze at the FIDE World Blitz Chess Championship in Doha, following his bronze medal in 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.”
The 22-year-old had earlier claimed a bronze medal in the Rapid Championship as well, making him the first Indian since Viswanathan Anand in 2017 to secure two medals at a single World Championship.
On Tuesday, Erigaisi put in a strong showing at the World Championship, finishing first in the standings with 15 points to move into the knockout stage.
The Telangana-born took on Nodirbek Abdusattorov in the semifinals of the World Blitz Championship but was unable to progress further. Abdusattorov claimed victory in the first two games, while the third ended in a draw, leaving Arjun to finish with the bronze medal.
Abdusattorov then advanced to the title clash against five-time world champion and world number one Magnus Carlsen. In a closely fought final, Carlsen’s superior end-game play proved decisive as he defeated Abdusattorov 2.5–1.5 to lift the trophy.
