Chess players

Arjun Erigaisi

Grandmaster, India. FIDE rating 2746, October 2026.

Arjun Erigaisi is a grandmaster from India, rated 2746 and ranked 12th in the world on the FIDE list of October 2026. He is playing board one for Alkaloid at the European Club Cup in Budva, Montenegro, which ends on 23 October, and then plays the Total Chess pilot in Budapest from 10 to 20 November 2026.

FIDE title: Grandmaster
Federation: India
Born: 3 September 2003, Warangal, India
Classical rating: 2746 (October 2026)
Rapid rating: 2740
Blitz rating: 2766
Peak rating: 2801 (December 2024)
World rank: No. 12 (October 2026)
FIDE id: 35009192

Arjun was runner-up in the under-14 section of the 2017 World Youth Championship, became an international master that year and a grandmaster in 2018, earning all three norms between May and August. He passed 2600 in September 2021. In 2022 he won the Tata Steel Challengers with 10.5/13, the Indian championship in March and the Abu Dhabi Chess Festival, and at the Chennai Olympiad he scored 8.5/11 as the youngest player of India's first team; his rating rose to 2725 on the September 2022 list.

He won the Sharjah Masters outright in March 2023 with 6.5/9 and reached the World Cup quarterfinals that summer, losing 5-4 on tiebreaks to Praggnanandhaa. In June 2024 he was fourth in the live ratings, and at the Budapest Olympiad that September he scored 10/11 on board three, won individual gold and helped India to team gold with 21 of 22 match points. In October 2024 he reached a live rating of 2802, the 16th player to pass 2800 live and the second from India after Viswanathan Anand.

His blitz rating is the highest of his three: 2766 on the October 2026 list, sixth in the world, while his rapid rating of 2740 is fourth in the world and his classical rating is 2746. He won the Junior Speed Chess Championship online in 2022, ending Nihal Sarin's two-year run as champion. In the last round of Tata Steel 2026 he played the Evans Gambit with White against the leader, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, and lost.

His 2026 started with 13th of 14 at Tata Steel, a result that cost him 29.9 rating points and his place in the top 10. In May he tied for first at TePe Sigeman & Co. and lost the tiebreak to Magnus Carlsen, scored 5/9 at the UzChess Cup in Tashkent in June, half a point behind the joint winners, and was third at the Chennai Grand Masters in July with 4/7. At the Samarkand Olympiad he scored 5.5/10 on board two, and his last-round win over Peter Leko held India to a 2-2 draw with Hungary and the team silver medals.

He is now on board one for the club Alkaloid at the European Club Cup in Budva, Montenegro, with Wei Yi on board two; the seven-round team event runs from 17 to 23 October. Then he plays the Total Chess pilot in Budapest from 10 to 20 November, a 24-player event with a group stage of 45-minute games followed by knockout matches that add rapid and blitz games.

Next events

1.European Club Cup 2026: 17 to 23 October 2026 (in progress), Budva, Montenegro. Board one for Alkaloid.
2.Total Chess World Championship Tour pilot: 10 to 20 November 2026, Anantara New York Palace Hotel, Budapest, Hungary.

Recent results

Arjun's recent results
Event	Dates	Result
46th Chess Olympiad, Samarkand	16 to 27 September 2026	5.5/10 on board two for India; his last-round win over Peter Leko secured team silver
Global Chess League 2026, Bengaluru (PBG Alaskan Knights)	5 to 13 September 2026	The Knights did not reach the top four
Quantbox Chennai Grand Masters 2026, Chennai	16 to 22 July 2026	Shared 2nd with 4/7, 3rd on tiebreak
3rd UzChess Cup Masters, Tashkent	7 to 15 June 2026	5/9, shared 3rd to 5th, half a point behind the joint winners
TePe Sigeman & Co. 2026	May 2026	Tied for first; 2nd after the tiebreak with Magnus Carlsen
Tata Steel Masters 2026, Wijk aan Zee	16 January to 1 February 2026	13th of 14 with 4.5/13
FIDE World Cup 2025, Goa	1 to 26 November 2025	Knocked out by Wei Yi in a tiebreak

Career highlights

1.Became a grandmaster in 2018, with all three norms earned between May and August.
2.Won the Tata Steel Challengers in 2022 with 10.5/13.
3.Became Indian champion in March 2022.
4.Won the Sharjah Masters outright in March 2023 with 6.5/9.
5.Scored 10/11 on board three at the 2024 Olympiad in Budapest, with individual and team gold.
6.Reached a live rating of 2802 in October 2024 and an official 2801 on the December 2024 list.

Arjun's season-by-season record in the league is on the Global Chess League profile.

Frequently asked questions

What is Arjun Erigaisi's next tournament?

He is playing the European Club Cup in Budva, Montenegro, on board one for Alkaloid; the last round is on 23 October 2026. His next event after that is the Total Chess pilot in Budapest from 10 to 20 November 2026.

What is Arjun Erigaisi's FIDE rating?

On the October 2026 FIDE list Arjun is rated 2746 in classical chess, 2740 in rapid and 2766 in blitz. He is 12th in the world in classical, fourth in rapid and sixth in blitz. His highest classical rating is 2801, first reached on the December 2024 list.

How old is Arjun Erigaisi?

Arjun was born on 3 September 2003 in Warangal, so he is 23.

What are Arjun Erigaisi's biggest results?

His 10/11 on board three at the 2024 Olympiad in Budapest, which won individual gold and helped India to team gold, and a live rating of 2802 in October 2024, which made him the second Indian after Viswanathan Anand to pass 2800. He has also won the Tata Steel Challengers (2022) and the Sharjah Masters (2023).

What name does Arjun Erigaisi go by?

Arjun. He told Chess.com that he prefers to be called by his first name; FIDE lists him as Erigaisi Arjun.

Sources

Facts checked on 20 October 2026. Ratings are from the FIDE list of October 2026.

More profiles: all chess player profiles.