Dominant show: Arjun forced Niemann to resign.
| Photo Credit: B. VELANKANNI RAJ
Grandmaster Arjun Erigaisi outwitted American Hans Niemann in the third round of the Chennai Grand Masters at The Westin Velachery on Saturday for his first win.
The top-ranked Indian took his tally to two points with the victory while Frenchman Alireza Firouzja continued to top the table, having logged 2.5 points after a draw with Nihal Sarin.
Arjun, who drew his first two matches, maintained the pressure on Niemann after gaining an advantage in the middle game and forced his opponent to resign after 43 moves.
Firouzja, who started with two victories, survived some anxious moments before holding Nihal to a draw with black in 53 moves.
World champion D. Gukesh could not get past Russian GM Dmitry Andreikin despite trying his best to dismantle his opponent’s defence.
He had to settle for a draw with white pieces after 54 moves as both players only had their kings left on the board.
The match between Uzbekistan’s Nodirbek Abdusattorov and M. Pranesh, the lowest-ranked player here, saw the Indian hold firm against the World No. 6 and eke out a draw after 27 moves.
Abdusattorov, who has drawn all his three matches so far, said: “Pranesh is a dangerous player.”
The former World Rapid champion further said that though Pranesh’s rating was around 2600 (Elo 2666), there “is a little gap between the real rating and the actual strength. He has a big potential.”
Looking ahead to Sunday’s match against Gukesh, he said: “when we play against each other, there is always going to be some drama, some interesting game.”
The results: Third round: Arjun Erigaisi 2 bt Hans Moke Niemann (USA) 1; M. Pranesh 1 drew with Nodirbek Abdusattorov (Uzb) 1.5; D. Gukesh 1 drew with Dmitry Andreikin (Rus) 1.5; Nihal Sarin 1.5 drew with Alireza Firouzja (Fra) 2.5.
Published – July 18, 2026 09:44 pm IST
