Arjun Erigaisi is an Indian chess player who is famous for winning the 28th Abu Dhabi International Chess Festival in August 2022.
Wiki/Biography
Arjun Erigaisi was born on Wednesday, September 3, 2003 (age 19 years; in 2022) in Warangal, Telangana. His zodiac sign is Virgo. He attended Shine High School, Hanamkonda. He dropped out of college in his sophomore year while he was pursuing a bachelor’s degree in data science.
Physical appearance
Height (approx): 5′ 3″
Hair Color: Black
Eye Color: Black
Family
Parents & Siblings
Arjun’s father’s name is E. Srinivas Rao, a neurosurgeon.
Arjun Erigaisi with his father
His mother’s name is E. Jyothi.
Arjun Erigaisi with his mother
Her sister’s name is Keerthana.
Arjun Erigaisi with his sister
Career
Arjun’s first tournament was the AP State selection tournament (under nine) in 2011 where he finished runner-up. In 2012, he won the gold medal in the State U-11 selection in Rajahmundry. In 2014, he won another gold in the Ahmedabad National U-13 tournament. In 2015, he won the silver medal in the Asian Youth Championships.
Arjun Erigaisi at the 2015 Asian Junior Championships
In 2016, he received the title of Master Candidate by FIDE. In 2018, at the age of fourteen, he became the first grandmaster from Telangana. In the same year, he won a silver medal in the Under-16 World Junior chess tournament.
Arjun Erigaisi poses with his gold medal at the 2018 World Under-16 chess tournament
In 2021, he became the first Indian to qualify for the Rapid Goldmoney Asian Champions Chess Tour. In October 2021, he participated in the U21 Junior Round Table Chess Open where he finished second. In November 2021, he finished third in the Lindores Abbey Blitz Tournament. Later in November, he became the runner-up in the fast and blitz category of the Tata Steel Indian Chess Championship. In January 2022, he won the Challengers division at the 2022 Tata Steel Chess Championship.
Arjun Erigaisi after winning Tata Steel Challengers 2022
In March 2022, he won the 58th MPL Senior National Chess Championship 2022 in Kanpur and became the Indian National Champion.
Arjun Erigaisi after winning the MPL 2022 National Championship
Later in March, he won the 19th Delhi Open.
Arjun Erigaisi after winning the 19th Delhi Open 2022
In 2022, he won the silver medal at the Chess Olympiad and became the seventh Indian to cross the 2700 ELO rating.
Arjun Erigaisi poses with his silver medal won in the 2022 Chess Olympiad
Facts/Trivia
- Arjun’s FIDE rating as of September 2022 is 2725. His rank is No. 24 in September 2022.
- Arjun used to play chess with his friends for fun when he was a kid, but later, he got serious about the game when he started winning tournaments. His father enrolled him in the Racing Academy in Kothapet, SBI Colony in 2015 when he was eleven years old.
Arjun Erigaisi as a child
- In 2018, after becoming the first grandmaster at the age of fourteen, he spoke about his achievement in an interview and said,
It is a feeling of pride and I am very happy. I worked hard to achieve this. I had to compete against some tough players during the tournament. But I’m glad I finally won. I ran and hugged my mom when I found out I had become a Grandmaster.
- Arjun trains for nine hours a day with his Israeli coach Mikhalevski Victor.
- In an interview, Arjun said that since the day he started playing chess, he has improved his maths. In the interview, he said again,
I became good at logical thinking and reasoning. I think most chess players feel the same way. One of my biggest challenges is dealing with failure. At first, I used to feel sad after a loss and my parents would cheer me up. But after a few years, I have learned how to fight back.”
- In 2018, he contributed Rs. 50,000 as relief to people affected by the floods in Kerala.
- In January 2020, he attended the Kramnik Gelfand MicroSense Program in Chennai.
Arjun Erigaisi attended the 2020 Kramnik Gelfand MicroSense Program
- In an interview, he said that his parents supported him financially, but he wanted a sponsor for himself. In the interview, he further added,
My parents have taken care of my expenses, but I think it would be nice if the burden was lightened by some sponsors. Chess at the highest level is very expensive.”
- According to Arjun’s coach, he is a soft-spoken person. In an interview, his coach Srinath Narayanan spoke about it and said,
In general, he is very innocent and he likes chess very much so in that sense, it is very easy and pleasant to work with him. He is like a clean slate, he can observe whatever you tell him, teach him, and show him. I think that was one of the most enjoyable aspects of working with him.”
Categories: Biography
Source: SCHOOL TRANG DAI
