India’s Strides In Chess Continue, Says PM Modi As Arjun Erigaisi Wins World Blitz Bronze

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday congratulated Indian chess grandmaster Arjun Erigaisi for clinching the bronze medal at the FIDE World Blitz Chess Championship held in Doha.

The achievement followed Erigaisi’s recent bronze at the FIDE Rapid Chess Championship, marking a significant milestone in his career and another proud moment for Indian chess on the global stage.

Notably, Erigaisi became the first Indian since Vishwanathan Anand in 2017 to win two medals at the World Championship, underlining his growing stature in international chess.

Taking to X, PM Modi posted, “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.”

Strong Showing in Open Category

During the tournament, the first day of the Open category ended with Arjun Erigaisi, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and Fabiano Caruana sharing the lead after 13 rounds.

Impressively, Erigaisi topped the standings with 15 points, while Magnus Carlsen, Fabiano Caruana and Nodirbek Abdusattorov also advanced to the knockout stage.

However, Erigaisi lost 2.5–0.5 to Abdusattorov in the semifinal, as the Uzbek grandmaster won the first two games and held Erigaisi to a draw in the third, making a fourth game unnecessary.

Meanwhile, India concluded the year-end championship with a total of three bronze medals, as Koneru Humpy also finished third in the Women’s Rapid Championship.

Reflecting on the event, FIDE Vice President Vishwanathan Anand described the tournament as a memorable edition of the World Rapid and Blitz Championships.

“This has been a memorable edition of the World Rapid & Blitz. We have watched five days of high tension at an exceptional level of play. The games played here in Doha will be studied by fans and future grandmasters alike, providing excellent material for the history of our sport,” Vishwanathan Anand said.