World Blitz Team Championships: Arjun Erigaisi Beats Magnus Carlsen, Team MGD1 Clinch Silver Medal

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New Delhi, Aug 7: Indian grandmaster 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 conceptualised by world chess governing body FIDE, in Astana, Kazakhstan.

In the final against Team WR Chess, Arjun, the highest-rated Indian GM in Classic Ranking, upset former world champion and world no. 1 Magnus Carlsen on the top board in Round 1.

However, the Norwegian's teammates secured victories on the other boards to give their team a comfortable lead. Team MGD1 put up a strong fight in the second round, holding the eventual champions to a 3:3 draw, but it was not enough to force a playoff.

"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 secure the silver medal that was very special. The way we bonded and fought for each other makes this medal so special," said Arjun.

The inaugural edition of the World Blitz Team Championships saw 40 teams compete in a group-cum-knockout format in a one-day event that also carried a prize purse of 100,000 Euros. Each team included one female player and one amateur in their lineup.

Team MGD1, which also featured GM Srinath Narayanan, SL Narayanan, B Adhiban, former world championships bronze medallist D Harika, and amateur Mihir Shah, dominated Pool B by winning all their seven matches.

In round 3, they demolished World Rapid Team Champions Al-Ain 4.5-1.5, underlining their claim for a podium finish, and then lived up to expectations in the knockout stage.

"It's a very proud moment for all of us that we have won a silver medal in the World Blitz Team Championships, beating some of the best players in the world. We at MGD1 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 outfit raced through the Round of 16 against Astana-2 and the quarterfinals against Israel's Ashdod Chess Club to reach the last four stage.

MGD1 once again faced Al-Ain in the semifinals and were taken to a tiebreaker after both rounds ended in a 3:3 draw. The Indians then raised the bar in the play-off, winning 5.5-0.5 to set up a summit clash against WR Chess. Team MGD1 also won a bronze medal in the World Rapid Team Championships in 2023.