Esports World Cup: Arjun Erigaisi beats compatriot Nihal Sarin, loses in semis

Arjun beat Nihal at his own game, with his own style. An ice-cool Arjun, nerves of steel on full display, handed Nihal back-to-back losses with both colours and sent him tumbling into the loser’s bracket.

But his joy of getting the better of his close friend was short-lived as Arjun ended up losing his semifinal to a very tough and determined Alireza Firouzja in a repeat of last year’s clash at the same stage.

Arjun Erigaisi takes on Nihal Sarin in the Esports World Cup. (Express Photo)

Another Indian in the fray, Pranesh M suffered a quarterfinal defeat at the hands of Uzbekistan’s Nodirbek Abdusattorov. With that result, all three Indians – Arjun, Nihal, and Pranesh – now find themselves in the lower bracket, fighting to stay alive in the tournament.

In a tricky 10+0 format with no increment, Arjun struck first with white pieces against his compatriot. In the Caro-Kann, he had Nihal walking a tightrope straight out of the opening, forcing him to bleed time early.

Gaining momentum, Arjun kept pushing, and under the pressure of the ticking clock, Nihal’s position crumbled.

With colours reversed, all Arjun needed was a draw. But after frustrating Nihal with a position that offered no edge, he capitalised on a one-move blunder to win the match 2-0.

Hope remains

Fortunately for Nihal and his compatriots, the tournament’s unique format offers a lifeline. There is no straight elimination. The lower bracket gives losers a second chance, a path to redemption through a string of must-win matches.

“In this game, I had a bit of an opening mishap but once I got control, I pushed really well and played a very good game. The second game, it was more of an opening matter. Once I got a good position – he tried his level best, he put up a lot of good attempts – but I think my position was a bit too good,” Arjun analysed after the twin contests.

Nihal admitted he doesn’t really like playing against a good friend, but was honest in his assessment.

“He just played an amazing match, that’s why I lost. I just got outplayed by the opponent. I could have played better, I guess. Especially in the first game, I believe I also played very decently, but he kept up the pressure very well… the board, the clock, the combined pressure was too much,” he said.

Arjun believed the unique format at the Esports World Cup also worked in his favour.

Arjun Erigaisi takes on Nihal Sarin in the Esports World Cup. (Express Photo)

“Nihal is extremely good, especially in non-incremental formats. He recently won the bullet championship as well, but this is 10+0, so I wasn’t too worried about it because it would matter only if we reached that stage. It was a 50-50 match, I thought, and I just wanted myself to be on top of my game,” he reflected.

American Grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura wasn’t surprised by the result either. He said Arjun has the best opening preparation among all the Indian players, and that’s why he nearly made it to the Grand Finals in the last edition.

“He plays the most dynamic chess, so I am not surprised. Arjun played really well. The results aren’t there yet, but Arjun is doing things differently, and he is on a very good path at the moment,” said Nakamura.

Firouzja may have had a point to prove in Paris, which may have given him added motivation against Arjun.

The youngster, who moved from Iran to France in 2019, was recently dropped from the national team that will play at the Chess Olympiad in Samarkand later this year. The French Chess Federation took the call after Firouzja’s repeated failures to represent the country at team events.

(The writer is in Paris at the invitation of the Esports Foundation)