World blitz team championships

World Rapid Team Champions Al: The GM Arjun Erigaisi-led Team MGD1 banked on their all-Indian star cast to clinch the silver medal in the inaugural World Blitz Team Championships, a club-based event conceptualized by world chess governing body FIDE and held in Astana, Kazakhstan. In the final against Team WR Chess, Erigaisi, the highest-rated Indian in Classic Ranking, upset former World Champion and World No.1 Magnus Carlsen on the top board in Round 1.

But the Norwegian’s teammates won on the other boards to give the team a comfortable lead. Team MGD1 put up a strong fight in the second round to hold the eventual champions 3:3 but that was not enough to take the match into play-off.

“Beating Magnus Carlsen in any format is special and I really enjoyed playing against him. But more than that win, it’s the collective performance of the team that helped us with the silver medal was very special. The way we bonded and fought for each other makes this medal so special,” Erigaisi was quoted as saying in a release by Team MGDI on Tuesday.