Arjun Erigaisi Shocks Viswanthan Anand, Again! India's Top Ranked GM Pips Legend At Tata Steel Chess

Last Updated:January 11, 2026, 13:32 IST

Erigaisi, who had earlier shocked Anand in the Rapid variant of the event, went on to outwit the five-time champion in the Blitz variant too.

Arjun Erigaisi. (Photo: Reuters, X/ @NorwayChess)

Indian GM Arjun Erigaisi got the better of the legendary Viswanathan Anand at the Tata Steel Chess Championships 2026 in Kolkata on Saturday in a battle of the generations.

Erigaisi, who had earlier shocked Anand in the Rapid variant of the event, went on to outwit the five-time champion in the Blitz variant too.

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Erigaisi, who came in third in the Rapid section of the event, behind winner Nihal Sarin and runner-up Anand, got off to a strong start in the Blitz event as he opened with five straight wins on the bounce. However, a late slump on the first day of the section held him back at 6.5 points out of a possible 9.

Erigaisi will head into the final day of the event placed second in the standings behind American Wesley So, who has a half-point lead over the Indian.

The Indian GM began his streak with a win over Volodar Murzin in his opening game before breezing past Wei Yi in the second. Erigaisi went on to get the better of three of his compatriots, Sarin, Anand and Arvindh Chithambaram in subsequent games to extend his winning run.

But, So halted the 22-year-old’s hot streak as he handed him a defeat in the sixth round, which put Erigaisi off his track and he could only manage a single point in his final three games.

So leads the table with 7 points, followed by Erigaisi with 6.5. Winner of the Rapid sectn, Sarin stads third with 5.5 followed by Anand and Vidit Gujrathi on 5 points apiece.

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R Vaishali stands second in the women’s section with 5.5 points to her name behind Carissa Yip, who has managed to establish a half-point advantage over the Indian heading into the final day.

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