Increasingly confident
In August 2018, Arjun Erigaisi became India’s 54th chess grandmaster. A 6 out of 9 score at the Abu Dhabi Masters granted the then 14-year-old (he was 17 days away from turning 15) his third grandmaster norm. Remarkably, at the start of the year, he had yet to collect a single norm — he had not even obtained any IM norms!
This DVD allows you to learn from the example of one of the best players in the history of chess and from the explanations of the authors how to successfully organise your games strategically, and how to keep your opponent permanently under pressure.
Eight months was all the teenager needed to get the highest title a chess player can get. In an interview with Saishyam Srikanth, Arjun noted:
That’s my golden year so far. I scored all six norms and gained 200 ELO rating points in that year alone. I had absolutely no norms until 2017 December.
Many knew of Arjun’s talent much earlier than that, though, with two of his trainers identifying one small psychological weakness in the youngster’s attitude — a lack of confidence. Viktor Mikhalevski noted in October 2018 that when he started his work with Arjun, the Indian “was already a pretty strong player with good positional understanding and fast calculation, but was missing confidence”. Srinath Sarayanan, who continues to work with Arjun, coincided with his colleague in an interview from 2021.
Curiously, after the categorical victory in Wijk aan Zee, Srinath himself shared on Twitter that his pupil had very high hopes for the Tata Steel Challengers tournament.
Arjun was aiming for 10½! Curiously, he did not think it was obvious that he would win the event with that score. But talk about a confident approach: the 18-year-old knew he had what it takes to gain a ticket to next year’s main event!
In a year’s time, we will see how the young man from Telangana fares against a few of the strongest players in the world, but for now we can attest that he is certainly capable of surmounting difficulties — of the psychological kind, in this case.

Arjun with his sister Keerthana and their parents, Jyothi and Srinivas Rao
Beating fellow rising stars
On his way to getting the GM title in 2018, Arjun had a remarkable performance at the World Youth U-16 Chess Olympiad. On board 1 for team India, he finished with an undefeated 7/9 score and a 2678 tournament performance rating. Moreover, he faced three fellow rising stars who are now household names for chess enthusiasts all over the world — Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Andrey Esipenko and Alireza Firouzja.
Arjun score 2½/3 points against these three opponents, beating Abdusattorov and Esipenko, and drawing Firouzja in the final round. Three and a half years later, Firouzja is the second highest-rated player in the world, Esipenko has joined the ‘2700 club’ and Abdusattorov has won the World Rapid Championship — the latter is slightly lower rated than Arjun in the live ratings list.
Perhaps some missed him due to his calm demeanour, but the Indian already showed that he was destined for great things a few years ago.
Find his wins over Abdusattorov and Esipenko in the replayer below, with annotations by Arjun himself and Sagar Shah.
Replay and check the LiveBook here |
Please, wait...
1.e4 e5 1...c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Bb5+ 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 3...a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 4.d3 Bc5 5.c3 5.Nbd2 5.Bxc6 5.0-0 5...0-0 6.0-0 d6 6...d5 7.exd5 Qxd5 8.Bc4 Qd6 9.Nbd2 7.Nbd2 a6 8.Bxc6 bxc6 9.d4 exd4 10.cxd4 Ba7 11.Qc2 Re8 11...c5 12.d5 12.Re1 12.Qxc6?! Rb8 13.Re1 Bb7 14.Qc2 Qe7 12...c5 13.d5 Bd7 13...c6 14.dxc6 Qc7 15.b3 Qxc6 16.Bb2± 13...Bb7 14.Nc4! 14.b3 c6 15.dxc6 Bxc6 16.Bb2 14...c6 14...h6 15.Bd2± 15.e5 cxd5 15...dxe5 16.d6+- 16.Nxd6 Rxe5 17.Rxe5 Qxd6 18.Bf4 14.Nc4 14.b3 14...h6 14...Bb5 15.Bg5± 15.b3 c6 15...h6 16.a4 16.Bg5± 14...Bg4 15.Bg5 Bxf3 16.gxf3 h6 17.Bh4 g5 18.Bg3 Nh5 19.Qc3!± 15.Bd2 15.b3 15...Qe7 15...Rb8 16.Ba5 Bb5 17.b3± 15...Bb5 16.b3 c6 16...Qe7 17.Bc3 17.dxc6 Bxc6 18.e5 dxe5 18...Bxf3 19.exf6 Bc6 20.fxg7+- 19.Nfxe5± 16.Ba5 Nxe4 16...Bb5 17.Nfd2± 17.Bxc7 Bf5 17...Bb8 18.Bxb8 Raxb8 19.Nfd2 Bf5 20.Re3! Nxd2 21.Qxf5 21.Qxd2 Qc7 22.Rae1 21...Ne4 21...Nxc4 22.Rxe7 Rxe7 23.b3+- 22.Qf4 22.f3?! Qf6 23.fxe4 Qd4 24.Rc1 Rb4= 22...Rb4 23.Rc1 Qg5 24.Qxg5 hxg5 25.b3 18.Nxd6 18.Ba5?! Qd7= 18.Bxd6?? Nxd6 19.Rxe7 Bxc2 18...Nxd6 18...Qxc7 19.Nxf5+- 19.Rxe7 Bxc2 19...Rxe7 20.Bxd6 20.Qc3?? Rxc7-+ 20...Bxc2 21.Bxe7+- 20.Bxd6 Red8 20...Be4 21.Rxe8+ Rxe8 22.Re1+- 21.Rc1! 21.Be5 Rxd5 22.Re1 c4= 21...Rxd6 22.Rxc2 Rxd5 23.g3± Bb6 24.Ne5 Rc8 24...Rf8 25.Nc4 Bd8 26.Ra7 Bf6 27.Rxa6+- 24...Ra7 25.Re8+ Kh7 26.Nc4 Bc7 26...Bd8 27.Ne3± 27.Rc8± 25.Nc4 25.Nxf7 25...Rc6 25...Bd8 26.Ra7 Rc6 27.Re2± 26.Rce2 26.Re8+ Kh7 27.Rf8 26...g6?? 26...Bd8 27.Ra7± 27.Rb7 Bd8 27...Bc7 28.Re8+ Kg7 29.Re7+- 28.Re8+ Kg7 29.Ne5 Rd1+ 29...Rc7 30.Rxd8+- 30.Kg2 Rf6 31.Rd7 31.Nd7?! Rf5 32.g4 32.Rxd8?? Rd2= 31...Rxd7 32.Nxd7 Rd6 33.Rxd8 c4 33...f5 34.Nxc5 34.Kf3 g5 35.h3 h5 36.a4 a5 37.Ke4 Rd2 38.f4 h4 39.gxh4 gxf4 40.Kxf4 Rf2+ 41.Kg3 Rxb2 42.Rc8 Rb4 43.Ne5 Rxa4 44.Nxc4 44.Rxc4?? Rxc4 45.Nxc4 a4 46.Kg4 Kh6= 44...Ra1 45.Ra8 a4 46.Ra6 Rg1+ 47.Kh2 Ra1 48.Nb6 a3 49.Nc4 a2 50.Ne3 f5 50...Kh7 51.Nc2 50...Re1 51.Nf5+ Kh7 52.Rxa2 51.Nxf5++- 1–0
- Start an analysis engine:
- Try maximizing the board:
- Use the four cursor keys to replay the game. Make moves to analyse yourself.
- Press Ctrl-B to rotate the board.
- Drag the split bars between window panes.
- Download&Clip PGN/GIF/FEN/QR Codes. Share the game.
- Games viewed here will automatically be stored in your cloud clipboard (if you are logged in). Use the cloud clipboard also in ChessBase.
- Create an account to access the games cloud.
Arjun,E | 2531 | Abdusattorov,N | 2560 | 1–0 | 2018 | C65 | WYCO 2018 | 6 |
Esipenko,A | 2609 | Arjun,E | 2531 | 0–1 | 2018 | D48 | WYCO 2018 | 7 |
Please, wait...
Tata Steel success
These DVDs are about Understanding Middlegame Strategies. In the first DVD dynamic decisions involving pawns are discussed. The second DVD deals with decision making process concerning practical play.
The resounding success in Wijk aan Zee was not the first triumph achieved by Arjun in an event organized by Tata Steel. Only two months earlier, the Indian had stunned the chess world by winning the Tata Steel India Rapid tournament in Kolkata. Arjun finished a full point ahead of Levon Aronian, Praggnanandhaa and Vidit in a field that also included the likes of Sam Shankland and Le Quang Liem.
Arjun won the rapid section of the event despite losing to Pragg in the second round. Four consecutive wins followed, though, and he went into the final day of action in sole first place.
Much like in Wijk, Arjun kept things under control once he found himself atop the standings, as he drew his three final games to get first place — he was paired up again Aronian in the very last round, with the Armenian star (now representing United States) getting the white pieces while knowing that a win would allow him to catch the leader.
Aronian, in fact, got a clear advantage out of a Petroff Defence, but Arjun managed to keep his cool and make his opponent’s task as difficult as possible. The stubbornness paid off, as the game ended in a 47-move draw.
Go through a selection of Arjun’s games from the rapid event in the replayer below.
Replay and check the LiveBook here |
Please, wait...
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e3 0-0 5.Bd2 d5 6.Nf3 b6 7.cxd5 exd5 8.Bd3 Bb7 9.0-0 Nbd7 10.Ne5 Nxe5 11.dxe5 Nd7 12.f4 Nc5 13.Bc2 d4 14.Na4 a5 15.Bxb4 axb4 16.Nxc5 bxc5 17.exd4 cxd4 18.Bd3 g6 19.Qd2 Qd5 20.Rae1 Rfe8? 20...Ba6 21.Be4 Qb5 22.Bxb7 Qxb7 23.f5 Qd5 24.f6 24.Qh6 d3 25.Re3 24...d3 25.Kh1 Qc5 26.e6 Rxe6 27.Rxe6 fxe6 28.Qxd3 28.Qh6 Qf8 29.f7+ Kh8 30.Qf4 28...Qd5 29.Qc2 Rf8?? 29...Qd6 30.Qxc7 Rxf6 31.Qb8+ Kg7 32.Qa7+ 1–0
- Start an analysis engine:
- Try maximizing the board:
- Use the four cursor keys to replay the game. Make moves to analyse yourself.
- Press Ctrl-B to rotate the board.
- Drag the split bars between window panes.
- Download&Clip PGN/GIF/FEN/QR Codes. Share the game.
- Games viewed here will automatically be stored in your cloud clipboard (if you are logged in). Use the cloud clipboard also in ChessBase.
- Create an account to access the games cloud.
Erigaisi,A | 2627 | Le,Q | 2709 | 1–0 | 2021 | | 3rd Tata Steel Chess India Rapid 2021 | 5.1 |
Erigaisi,A | 2627 | Shankland,S | 2708 | 1–0 | 2021 | | 3rd Tata Steel Chess India Rapid 2021 | 6.5 |
Aronian,L | 2782 | Erigaisi,A | 2627 | ½–½ | 2021 | | 3rd Tata Steel Chess India Rapid 2021 | 9.3 |
Please, wait...

A friendly post-mortem with Levon Aronian | Photo: Lennart Ootes
Links