Arjun Erigaisi triumphs over World No. 1 as Team MGD1 secures silver in World Blitz Chess

Arjun Erigaisi, India's highest-rated player in the Classic Ranking, led Team MGD1 to clinch the silver medal in the inaugural World Blitz Team Championships held in Astana, Kazakhstan.

This club-based event, conceptualized by FIDE, saw Erigaisi achieve a stunning victory over former World Champion and World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen on the top board in Round 1.

Despite Erigaisi's triumph, Carlsen's teammates secured victories on the other boards, giving their team an early lead. Team MGD1 fought hard in the second round, holding the eventual champions WR Chess to a 3:3 draw, but it wasn't enough to force a play-off.

"Beating Magnus Carlsen in any format is special, and I really enjoyed playing against him. However, the collective performance of the team that helped us secure the silver medal was particularly special. The way we bonded and fought for each other makes this medal so significant," Erigaisi stated in a release by Team MGD1 on Tuesday.

The inaugural World Blitz Team Championships featured 40 teams competing in a group-cum-knockout format in a one-day event with a prize pool of 100,000 Euros. Each team included one female player and one amateur.

Team MGD1, which comprised GM Srinath Narayanan, SL Narayanan, B. Adhiban, former Women's World Championship bronze medallist D. Harika, and amateur Mihir Shah, dominated Pool B by winning all their seven matches. In Round 3, they defeated World Rapid Team Champions Al-Ain 4.5-1.5, solidifying their claim for a podium finish and meeting expectations in the knockout stages.

"It's a very proud moment for all of us that we have won a silver medal in the World Blitz Team Championships, defeating some of the best players in the world. At MGD1, we are committed to the development of chess in India, and that is one of the reasons we fielded an all-Indian lineup in Astana. The players rose to the occasion," said MGD1 co-founder Sreekar Chennapragada.

The Indian team advanced through the Round of 16 against Astana-2 and the quarterfinals against Israel's Ashdod Chess Club to reach the semifinals. Facing Al-Ain once again, they were taken to a tiebreaker after both rounds ended in a 3:3 draw. The Indians then raised their game in the play-off, winning 5.5-0.5 to set up the final clash against WR Chess.

Team MGD1 had also secured a bronze medal in the World Rapid Team Championships in 2023.