Arjun Erigaisi's Journey to Chess Excellence: From Struggles to Success

Indian Grandmaster Arjun Erigaisi divulges how he overcame the weight of his own expectations to achieve a stellar career. By detaching from the outcome of matches, he has found success, contributing massively to India's historic Olympiad gold and achieving personal milestones. He is eager to continue his winning streak.

Indian Grandmaster Arjun Erigaisi has revealed that he once struggled with the heavy burden of his own expectations, a phase that resulted in several setbacks. However, by detaching himself from the outcome of his matches, he finally discovered the path to success.

This year has been remarkable for Erigaisi. He played a crucial role in securing the Indian men's team's historic gold at the recently-concluded Olympiad and won nine of his 11 games, earning an individual gold on the third board. His phenomenal performance has propelled him to a career-best world number three in the live FIDE rankings.

Just a year ago, things weren’t so promising. Erigaisi found himself caught in a rut.

'Back in 2021, I was clearly underrated with a rating of 2500 something, but my strength was about 2600. It was smooth sailing until a point,' he told PTI. 'But in 2023, I was about 2700, and the period was tough with many ups and downs. Missing out on the Candidates was particularly harsh.'

He made a conscious effort to detach from the results, which alleviated the pressure he put on himself. 'Attempting to achieve something desperately was counterproductive. Detaching from the results really helped me,' Erigaisi explained.

By freeing himself from the suffocating pressure of specific achievements, he found mental clarity and resilience. 'It's about giving my best effort and accepting what comes. If you give your best, you likely get the best outcome,' he added.

Erigaisi, eager to maintain his winning momentum, has the long-term goal of becoming a world champion. With Indian youngsters excelling globally, the nation celebrates them as the golden generation of chess players. Erigaisi is a fan of team events and is excited about the upcoming Global Chess League, dubbing it the 'IPL of chess.'

The League features an innovative format that makes team draws unlikely. 'I like its team dynamic and rapid format. It’s exciting, especially coming right after the Olympics,' he said. Erigaisi, who was in the same team as world number one Magnus Carlsen in the previous GCL, looks forward to teaming up with another legend, Viswanathan Anand.