Indian game

Chennai Grand Masters Chess: World No. 4 Arjun Erigaisi continued his strong start in the Chennai Grand Masters 2024 on Wednesday, holding American GM Levon Aronian, the second-highest-ranked player in the tournament, to a draw in the second round of the event. In the Challengers, R. Vaishali, one of two female chess players debuting this year, opened her account by drawing top-seed Raunak Sadhwani.

The Chennai Grand Masters 2024 features two categories–Masters & Challengers. With a rating average of 2729, the Masters presents a more competitive field this time around. The debuting Challengers, meanwhile, is designed to provide emerging Indian talent the chance to compete in a top-class tournament.

Playing with the white pieces, Erigaisi kicked things off with Queen’s Pawn Opening, which was met by Aronian’s response in the Indian Game. The two GMs exchanged tactical manoeuvres and strategic depth, pushing each other through every phase of the game before ultimately settling for a hard-fought draw, both showing immense skill and resilience.