Arjun Erigaisi Secures Rs 1.2Cr Payday With Fourth Place Finish At Esports World Cup
Indian Grandmaster Arjun Erigaisi narrowly lost to Hikaru Nakamura in the Esports World Cup chess event in Riyadh. Nakamura won bronze with a 3.5–2.5 victory.
Indian Grandmaster Arjun Erigaisi narrowly lost to Hikaru Nakamura of the United States in a dramatic third-place playoff at the Esports World Cup chess event in Riyadh on Friday.
Nakamura clinched the bronze medal with a 3.5–2.5 victory in a closely contested six-game match that went down to the wire.
Throughout the playoff, both players stayed evenly matched for most of the encounter. The match reached its decisive moment in the sixth and final game, where Erigaisi, playing with the black pieces, faltered during a tense endgame.
Facing immense time pressure, the 21-year-old Indian star committed a series of blunders, which allowed Nakamura—currently the world No. 2 and one of the strongest rapid and blitz players ever—to capitalize and secure the win.
Career-Best Payday for Erigaisi
Despite missing out on the podium, Erigaisi walked away with a career-high prize of $115,000 (approximately ₹1 crore) for his fourth-place finish in the knockout-format tournament. A third-place finish would have earned him $145,000 (around ₹1.26 crore), but even so, this result marks a financial and competitive milestone in his young career.
Arjun's journey in the Esports World Cup saw him defeat Russian Grandmaster Ian Nepomniachtchi in the quarterfinals, after which he faced French-Iranian prodigy Alireza Firouzja in the semifinals, where he was narrowly defeated.
India's other young talent, Nihal Sarin, also turned heads in Riyadh. The 20-year-old reached the quarterfinals, where he faced former World Champion Magnus Carlsen. Although he lost the match, Sarin pocketed a commendable $85,000 (approximately ₹74 lakh) for his efforts.
Reflecting on the experience, Nihal said: 'I'm just very happy to play against Magnus; he's my biggest inspiration. It's my first time getting to play him in a match," he said with a smile after the match.
All eyes now shift to the grand final between Magnus Carlsen and Alireza Firouzja, set to be one of the most anticipated showdowns of the year. The winner will take home a staggering $2.5 million (roughly ₹20.8 crore)—an unprecedented prize pool in competitive chess.
view comments
Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News18
27 minutes ago
- News18
R Ashwin Slams Ben Stokes For 'Ridiculous' Remark: 'Think Before You Speak'
Last Updated: Ravichandran Ashwin has slammed Ben Stokes for calling injury substitutions 'ridiculous,' urging him to 'think before speaking' as 'karma hits instantly.' Ravichandran Ashwin has asked Ben Stokes to 'think before speaking' because 'Karma hits instantly' over the England captain's remarks that injury substitutions were 'ridiculous'. In cricket, only players who have suffered a concussion are allowed to be replaced with a like-for-like sub who can bat or bowl in their place. Other injuries, like Rishabh Pant's fractured foot in the fourth Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, or Chris Woakes' shoulder injury in the fifth game, are allowed only fielding subs. The topic was brought up after Pant's and a debate ensued in the fraternity. But even as India coach Gautam Gambhir called for a tweak in rules to allow it, Stokes denied, saying it was a 'ridiculous' idea where players could use a lot of loopholes to get in fresh players for slightly injured or simply tired ones. Come the fifth Test, Woakes got injured on the first day and could no longer bowl, and only came to bat one-handed with a sling on the fifth day. 'Gautam Gambhir had said that injuries like these warrant substitutions," Ashwin said on his YouTube channel. 'Immediately after, the same question was asked to Ben Stokes and he said, 'It's absolutely a joke.' … I'm a big fan of Ben Stokes. I admire his attitude. But you need to think before you speak." 'Today, Chris Woakes walked out with his shoulder tucked into his sweater and gave it his all to help the team win. He almost did it. He was running, showing immense game awareness. Hats off to Chris Woakes — remarkable attitude, remarkable fight, putting his body on the line." Ashwin also pointed to former England captain Michael Vaughan's comments that the rule needed to evolve, saying that all Stokes had to do was 'show some empathy' for India. 'Michael Vaughan said this is one area where the game can evolve. Substitutions should be allowed. All I'm saying is: show a little empathy for the other team. Stokes should have considered what it would be like if a player of Rishabh Pant's calibre was in his team and got injured. Wouldn't you want a substitution? Wouldn't that be fair? You are free to share your opinion — but using words like 'joke' and 'ridiculous' isn't respectful. Think before you speak. Karma hits instantly," he added. Stokes Doubles Down Stokes couldn't play the fifth Test due to an injury but came to the post-match press conference anyway. He was asked if his mind had changed seeing what happened with Woakes. But the English skipper chose to double down. 'I don't see it [injury substitutes] being a thing," said Stokes. 'Sorry about this, but if someone gets injured tough s***, deal with it. That's how we view it," he said. Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
News18
30 minutes ago
- News18
Amitabh Bachchan Celebrates India's Win Against England, Calls It ‘Fantastic Style'
As India secured the victory, Bollywood celebs also took to their social media to celebrate the win. Amitabh Bachchan couldn't hold back his excitement as Team India clinched a thrilling victory over England. The legendary actor reacted to the IND vs ENG match even while being in the middle of a workday. As India secured the victory, Bollywood celebs also took to their social media to celebrate the win. Taking to his X handle, Amitabh Bachchan praised the team and wrote, 'T 5462 – It works it works .. work is the essence of life .. a work day with the work providing work but also in the middle of it : YEEEAAAHHHYEEEEAAAHHHHHH .. INDIA WINS .. IN FANTASTIC STYLE .. IND V ENG cricket." India secured a dramatic victory in the fifth and final Test against England at The Oval, winning by just six runs. While each player gave an exceptionally good performance, it was Mohammed Siraj who capped a stellar match-winning spell with a five-wicket haul. Take a look here: Earlier, Arjun Kapoor took to his Instagram and praised Mohammed Siraj. He wrote, '@mohammedsirajofficial Miyaan kya baat hai !!! Dil khol ke celebrate ki jeeye aap… Catch jo hokar na hua uske bawajood to come and bowl like this on day 5 to draw the series !!! Amongst the many well-deserved winners of the player of the match and series, mere liye aap ho for the spirit u showed !!! Desh ke liye ladke jeete ho aap aaj !!! Jai Hind @indiancricketteam" 'What a fight. What a finish. Team India doesn't play safe—they play like legends!" Anil Kapoor wrote as he shared a video of the Indian flag flying high in the sky at the stadium. Angad Bedi took to Instagram and shared a series of videos to celebrate the day. In his first story, he penned a note for Siraj and wrote, '@mohammedsirajofficial giving everything you got in you… you are a CHAMPION bowler." 'Well Done @indiancricketteam Whattttt a win!!!!! Miyaan…," he wrote in his next story and then finally added, 'Test cricket you beauty!!! Yeh naya Hindustan hai… yeh ghusega bhi… aur marega bhi!!!" Athiya Shetty and Kareena Kapoor also reacted to today's Test result. While Kareena reshared a news piece and wrote 'Jai Hind!!!", Athiya Shetty shared a picture and wrote, 'Unreal." view comments First Published: August 05, 2025, 13:54 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Indian Express
31 minutes ago
- Indian Express
R Ashwin on Anderson-Tendulkar trophy: This series was slightly better than even the 2005 Ashes
The series Anderson-Tendulkar trophy came to a thrilling close on Monday after Gus Atkinson's stumps were cleaned up by Mohammed Siraj. It was one of the exhilarating five-match Test series in recent times. Many former players and Pundits compared it with the 2005 Ashes, which is touted as one of the greatest Test series in the modern era. However, former Indian cricketer R Ashwin said this one is better than the 20025 England-Australia showdown. 'A lot of people are comparing this series with the 2005 Ashes, but I think this series was slightly better than even the 2005 Ashes – because there was so much more imperfection, from both sides,' Ashwin said on his YouTube channel, Ash ki Baat. 'If you look at that Australian team, there was Glenn McGrath, Shane Warne, you had Michael Kasprowicz, Shaun Tait. From this side [England] you had Simon Jones, Steve Harmison, you had Ashley Giles. There was a lot of experience in the bowling attacks. There was experience in the batting too. There was a lot of hard-fought cricket, where you couldn't see a lot of mistakes. It was hard-fought.' While Ashwin did acknowledge this as a good series, he also mentioned it was an imperfect series. 'In this series, there were a lot of mistakes,' Ashwin added. 'But the young players have corrected their mistakes and gotten better through the series. You had somebody like KL Rahul who's not put a foot wrong in the series. Then you had somebody like a Rishabh Pant or Shubman Gill, who made errors – both got run out once – they played some poor shots and got out at the crucial moments. 'In the bowling too, Mohammed Siraj has had some down spells, Prasidh [Krishna] has had some ordinary spells. England have bowled poorly, but have fought back through Ben Stokes. So there has been a lot of imperfection. There was a lot of perfection in the 2005 Ashes, but we got to see a lot of imperfection in this series,' Ashwin added. 'And that's the beauty of it. Players corrected their vulnerabilities, and made this series like a festival for us. [For] anyone who paid money to go watch the match, no one would say they didn't have their money's worth. Twenty-five days of riveting cricket, and I could give anything to watch this series, I have not missed a moment.'
