&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "PM Modi praises Arjun Erigaisi for winning bronze medal at FIDE World Blitz Chess Championship")
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has praised young Arjun Erigaisi after he won the bronze medal at the recently concluded FIDE World Blitz Chess Championship. With Magnus Carlsen winning the tournament, it was the Indian Grandmaster who settled for a place on the podium in Doha on Tuesday (Dec 30). The bronze medal comes just a month after Arjun had narrowly missed out on a place in the semifinal of the FIDE Chess World Cup and thereby The Candidates.
PM Modi praises Arjun
Having ended with a bronze medal, PM Modi took to his X handle to appreciate the efforts of the Indian Grandmaster. Arjun topped the Swiss Round with 15 points, beating some of the top contenders, including world No.1 Magnus Carlsen, but was defeated by Uzbek GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov 2.5-1.5 in the semifinal to settle for a third-place finish.
The feat not only helped Erigaisi add to the World Rapid bronze he won on Sunday, but it also made him only the second male chess player from India, after the legendary Viswanathan Anand, to win a World Blitz medal.
“India’s strides in chess continue! Congratulations to Arjun Erigaisi for winning the Bronze at the FIDE World Blitz Chess Championship in Doha, following his bronze medal in FIDE Rapid Chess Championship recently. His skills, patience, and passion are exemplary. His successes will continue to inspire our youth. My best wishes to him,” PM Modi wrote on his X handle.
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In what was a sensational 2025 for Indian chess Grandmasters, Arjun ended 2025 on a sweet note with the bronze medal. He was in line for a place in The Candidates in 2026, but missed out, having lost to China’s Wei Yi. Arjun was in a spot of bother in the first set of tie-breaker games, but fought back to get a draw. However, in the second, he lost. Wei, the seventh seed, eventually won the tie-break 1.5-0.5.
