Erigaisi moves into second place

Arjun Erigaisi emerged as Alireza Firouzja's closest pursuer after the weekend rounds of the Quantbox Chennai Grand Masters. Erigaisi was the only player to win across rounds three and four, while Sunday's entire programme ended in draws.

Erigaisi's victory came against Hans Niemann in Saturday's third round. Niemann entered a forcing sequence that included a temporary queen sacrifice, but Erigaisi handled the complications successfully and secured the full point. The result took the Indian grandmaster into clear second place.

The Endgame Academy Vol.2: Theoretical Rook Endgames

Grandmaster Dr. Karsten Müller, one of the world’s leading endgame experts, guides you step by step through everything you need to know in this second volume.
Picture this: you’ve outplayed your opponent move by move, you’re clearly better – and then the endgame slips into a draw, simply because you lacked the crucial theoretical knowledge. That is exactly where this course comes in. Without solid endgame skills, there’s no way forward. Rook endgames are most essential: they occur more often than any other type of endgame, and often make the difference between victory and half a point. If you master them, you’ll confidently convert your advantages into wins!
Free video sample: Introduction
Free video sample: Bodycheck

The other three games in round three were drawn. Top seed Nodirbek Abdusattorov once again found himself under pressure, continuing a difficult start in which he had run into trouble in each of the opening three rounds. He nevertheless managed to avoid defeat.

No player broke through in round four on Sunday, as all four encounters finished level. With the tournament now beyond its halfway point, Firouzja and Erigaisi remain the only competitors to have recorded victories.

Firouzja leads the standings with 3/4, half a point ahead of Erigaisi on 2½/4. The leaders are scheduled to meet in Wednesday's final round, when Firouzja will have the white pieces. Before that, Monday's fifth round will see Firouzja face Dmitry Andreikin with white, while Erigaisi will play black against world champion Gukesh Dommaraju.

Attack like a Super Grandmaster

In this Fritztrainer: “Attack like a Super GM” with Gukesh we touch upon all aspects of his play, with special emphasis on how you can become a better attacking player.

Standings after round 4

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