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File representation of Arjun Erigaisi and Magnus Carlsen during their accelerated lucifer astatine the Tata Steel Chess India tournament. (Express photograph by Partha Paul)
In a small little than six minutes and with conscionable 20 moves connected the board, Magnus Carlsen, the world’s top subordinate of this generation, had waved the achromatic emblem of surrender successful a blitz game. His conqueror, 21-year-old Arjun Erigaisi, had done the unthinkable: inflict a decision connected the World No.1, the Norwegian’s archetypal astatine the Tata Steel Chess India tourney successful 17 games crossed the accelerated and blitz formats. Not to mention, Arjun Erigaisi was playing with achromatic pieces.
In the span of those 20 moves, Arjun Erigaisi had made things profoundly uncomfortable for Magnus Carlsen connected the board. The World No.1 looked distant into the oversea of radical seated connected his near astatine the Dhono Dhanyo Auditorium successful Kolkata, muttered things to himself nether his breath, shook his caput successful self-dejected annoyance and astir apt made a captured portion precise nauseous by rapidly turning it implicit and implicit successful his manus with the vigour of a rotation bowler.
By the clip the extremity came and a dejected Magnus Carlsen extended his manus crossed the committee towards his conqueror, Carlsen’s king had been made to jog astir from 1 quadrate to different for endurance successful a mode that Carlsen’s kings are not utilized to being treated. But astatine slightest the king had done immoderate enactment successful the game. Carlsen’s rooks — those sentries that basal successful the country of the committee and get paid the large bucks for the harm they tin inflict — were assassinated by Arjun’s knights without them adjacent getting retired of bed.
It was that benignant of crippled that made adjacent those watching it consciousness a small baffled. Tania Sachdev, who was connected commentary work for the Chess.com broadcast, astatine immoderate constituent gasped: “Is it that simple?”
Five-time satellite champion Viswanathan Anand, sitting adjacent to her successful commentary, shrugged: “It is that simple!”
INTERACTIVE: How Arjun Erigaisi bushed Magnus Carlsen successful conscionable 20 moves
Arjun Erigaisi had started the crippled by opting for a French saltation of the Sicilian Defence. His knights had started to carnivore down connected Carlsen’s service from the 8th determination with the kingside knight charging guardant to g4 and past hopping implicit to the f2 quadrate connected the adjacent move. On the 11th move, Magnus Carlsen mislaid his archetypal rook. Carlsen responded with a blunder: offering an speech of queens by pushing his queen to f4 connected determination 12.
Arjun Erigaisi chose to disregard that offer, alternatively giving Carlsen’s king a check. By the 14th move, Carlsen’s king was connected the run. Two knights and Arjun’s queen had the achromatic king successful their sights.
Arjun’s king-side knight, having already accounted for 1 of Carlsen’s rooks, present started to pursuit Carlsen’s king.
Two moves later, Arjun’s queen-side knight had murdered a achromatic knight and the 2nd rook.
It was present that Magnus Carlsen decided to combat occurrence with occurrence and sent his queen forwards to onslaught successful a hopeless Hail Mary of a move. Three moves later, the crippled ended with Carlsen having conscionable 9 pieces near connected the committee (with some rooks, 2 further pawns and a knight less). Barring a mates of pawns and a bishop, Arjun’s service was inactive unscathed.
Starting the time with a crippled of play earlier sitting down astatine the chessboard!#tsci2024 #TSCI #tatasteelchessindia #chess #indianchess #kolkata #funday #golfing pic.twitter.com/Vw0CHxX0Np
— Tata Steel Chess India (@tschessindia) November 16, 2024
Magnus Carlsen started his Saturday with a circular of play successful Kolkata aft a palmy accelerated section, which helium had won without breaking into a sweat. Then, helium went to the Dhono Dhanyo Auditorium and raced to the pb connected the leaderboard aft 7 blitz games. He had defeated SL Narayanan, Praggnanandhaa, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Vincent Keymer and Nihal Sarin portion accepting draws against Wesley So and Daniil Dubov.
Then Arjun Erigaisi happened.
Arjun Erigaisi crushes Magnus Carlsen successful 20 moves with the achromatic pieces — the World no. 1's 1st nonaccomplishment successful #TataSteelChessIndia this year! https://t.co/FKdLhuE3sh pic.twitter.com/tUCb7T9a8R
— chess24 (@chess24com) November 16, 2024
“Clearly Magnus conscionable forgot thing successful his prep,” said Anand successful the commentary booth for Chess24. “He played thing precise accelerated and adjacent happening helium knew… knight f2 (Nf2, Arjun’s 14th move) is the benignant of determination that is truthful unintuitive.”
Just aft winning the accelerated conception astatine the Tata Steel India tourney connected Friday, Magnus Carlsen had spoken astir however chuffed helium was to decision Arjun.
“The crippled against Arjun was surely my favourite of the ones here. He’s an highly unsafe subordinate erstwhile helium has the initiative, erstwhile helium gets to attack, and I benignant of willingly got into a presumption wherever helium had the initiative. So I’m precise blessed that adjacent though my play was evidently acold from perfect, that I managed to grip the resulting analyzable presumption amended than helium did and to get the triumph there,” said Carlsen who had famously called Arjun a “mad antheral connected the chess board”.
On Saturday, Arjun justified that title.
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