The Indian chess star Arjun Erigaisi attracted lots of attention after showing impressive results on the international chess scene. He recently won Delhi Chess 2022 and the MPL Indian Chess Tour first leg, performing as the top seed in Menorca Chess Open 2022. With the current live rating of 2687.8, Erigaisi holds the 48th position on the world live rating lists.
In the interview for “The Bridge” Erigiasi attributes his rise in the chess world to his decision to drop out of college and shift his focus entirely to chess: “I was pursuing Data Science as recently as December 2021. I was very keen on going to college and having my share of fun. But a series of bad performances over the board made me realise that it is simply not possible for me to balance both chess and studies. I think this decision has certainly helped me improve my game. I can clearly feel the difference in the way I was playing in 2021 and this year. The results show for themselves as well.”
Arjun will be a member of the Indian A National Open team in the upcoming 44th Chess Olympiad 2022, and spoke about the Indian Team’s 10-day camp of preparations with Boris Gelfand. He added that he will take a short break from competitive chess to focus solely on training before the Olympiad and that his immediate goal is to cross the 2700 rating margin. Find the complete interview here.
