Arjun Erigaisi of India defeated Alexey Sarana in the Chennai Grand Masters 2024 here on Thursday, moving him up to second place in the world chess rankings. After three rounds, he and Amin Tabatabaei were tied for first place in the Masters category. As he played Sarana in the Indian Game, Arjun responded to his Queen's Pawn Opening with the black pieces first, then quickly moved on to an East Indian Defense. 
Before Arjun gained the upper hand and turned it into his competition's second victory, both players knocked off their kings early in the match while still engaged in a fierce battle.  As a result, the 21-year-old has regained his 2,800 ELO rating and is now ranked second in the world, surpassing Fabiano Caruana. 

Flawless Strikes With Winning Intensions ~ 

A Mastermind Indeed (Source: Google Images) 

Arjun's mother shares memories about his early years, such as when he changed the "tiffin rules" at school and raised the most money for a charity drive to support an elderly home ~

When Arjun Erigaisi's pre-kindergarten teacher first suggested that chess would be a nice game for him, he was about three years old. According to legend, the young Arjun was able to memorize the capitals of almost 70 nations as well as their currencies and recite multiplication tables backwards.

Arjun is renowned for his commitment to honing his craft in addition to his tournament accomplishments. He studies chess theory and practices with some of the top players for hours on end. His constantly excellent achievements and quick ascent through the ranks demonstrate this unrelenting drive for greatness.

Other Important Insights Regarding the Match ~

Meanwhile, Levon Aronian made his presence known by defeating Iran's Parham Maghsoodloo in a decisive manner.  India's Vidit Gujrathi defeated local favorite Aravindh Chithambaram in a tense but strategic draw, brushing aside his recent losses. Additionally, Pranav V defeated Karthikeyan Murali to record his third consecutive victory in the Challengers category, continuing his incredible run.  Pranesh M strengthened his standing by defeating Vaishali Rameshbabu at the same time.

However, both the Harika Dronavalli-Abhimanyu Puranik match and a fierce match between Raunak Sadhwani and Leon Mendonca ended in a draw.  With 2.5 points after Round 3, Arjun and Tabatabaei share the lead in the Masters category, with Aronian in third place, 0.5 points behind.  Pranav, who has won all three of his encounters to date, sits atop the Challengers category leaderboard with 3.0 points.