Indian Grandmaster Erigaisi Arjun is set to lead a strong contingent of 19 Indian players in the prestigious Sharjah Masters Chess tournament, with a total prize pool of USD 52,000 up for grabs.
Arjun, currently ranked seventh in the world, will be the top seed in the nine-round Swiss tournament, which kicks off later today. His recent impressive performance at the Superbet Rapid and Blitz tournament in Warsaw, where he finished fifth overall, has raised expectations for his performance in Sharjah.
Despite the risk to their ratings, Arjun’s decision to participate in open events is setting new standards in the chess world. He is 29 points ahead of the second seed, Parham Maghsoodloo of Iran, and will be looking to maintain his strong form.
The tournament follows the success of Indian players in the Dubai Police Global Chess Challenge, where V Pranav emerged as the winner, followed by Aravindh Chithambaram and M Pranesh in second and third place respectively.
Chithambaram, a two-time national champion, has recently broken into the top-50 of world rankings and will be aiming to continue his upward trajectory. Nihal Sarin, known for his prowess in online blitz games, will also be looking to make his mark in Sharjah.
Former world junior champion Abhijeet Gupta, who has faced inconsistency in recent years, will be another player to watch in the tournament. With a total of 88 participants, including other notable Indian players like S L Narayanan, Raunak Sadhwani, and B Adhiban, the Sharjah Masters Chess tournament promises to be a thrilling and competitive event.