Siddharth Viswanathan,
Arjun Erigaisi’s 2025 was nothing but a roller coaster. The Indian Grand Master started a year with disappointment in Wijk Aan Zee and was missing a key opportunity to cross the 2800 ELO. In the coming months, however, twenty-year-old showed glimpse of revival-especially in the rapidly developing format freestyle and fast chess, a stunning consistent performance in Las Vegas and at the Esports World Cup.
While these formats brought him to the center of attention, Arjun remains anchored about his success and is firmly focused on what lies before us. With key events such as Grand Swiss and Fide World Cup, Erigaisi decides to turn his year and secure a sought -after place in the 2026 candidates.
On the eve of OneBox Chennai GrandmastersArjun, in an exclusive interaction with India today, sat down to talk about his year, growing landscape of Indian chess, his reflections on the historical victory of Divy Dehmukh, and how he mentally and physically prepares for what could be the most important phase of his chess career.
Questions and Answers with Arjun Erigaisi
Question: This year you had a strong performance in freestyle and fast formats. How do you look at your performance in events such as the ESports World Championship?
Arjun: To be honest, I think it would be an overestimation to call my performance in freestyle and also esports any success because they are decent. But I think there is nothing to be particularly proud of, and maybe it is a little central, because I did a little better than the other Indians. But I would still not take recognition, because it is not something too impressive.
Question: You have talked about the fact that chess is part of the Esports World Championship. Why do you think this is important for sport?
Arjun: Yeah, I always thought-and he also mentioned it in several interviews-as with such a long time of checks and, like players who get in half an hour on one move, it’s as if players were hard for the audience to be for the audience. So, just like, it must be fast and based on excitement. And then I think I learned at that moment on esports. But now that Esports arrived, I think it’s perfect fit, and I’m so happy that Chess joined Esports. And I think we could see – there were a lot of spectators who tune in, and as people were sitting teams – and like something new for the chess world. It was definitely fun to see. I wish my performance was a little better. However, I am satisfied with the fact that Esports and Chess joined hand.
Q: How would you look back at 2025, how would you evaluate your performance? How does it compare it to last year?
Arjun: In therms of Purely Results, I Think This Year Has Been Quite Disappointing, Especially Compared to 2024. But As A Whole, I See Myself Improving So I Don’t It AS Such and Bad Thing and Like The Results Are One Thing About That I Feel Positive But I Hope Like Ay’ll Be Back Better Results Pretty Soon.
Q: Is the qualification for candidates your highest goal for the rest of the year?
Arjun: Candidates are certainly the main goal that is entitled to candidates, but before the World Cup we have a Grand Swiss, which starts next month, so my first focus is on it, but before I play in Chennai, One Box Chennai, and it starts tomorrow, so my immediate focus will be on it, even if I have nothing to do with candidates.
Question: You seem to switch between formats – classic, freestyle, fast – smooth. What is the mental preparation for you?
Arjun: Actually, it’s not something I have done consciously, but as if I had to practice in all the formats not only as just now, but just like before you know, Fast blitz became famous, as it has more important today, but I used to be, but I happened, but I happened, but yeah when I happened to happen to me.
QUESTION: Divya Deshmukh created history by winning the Women’s World Cup. What did the moment mean to you and have you got a chance to talk to her?
Arjun: She did it spectacularly, as she and Humpy, as if it were a cell final, was a big thing. I congratulate her on her magnificent victory and I think it is very important that it is not only male chess, but also female chess is doing well as before what it was like we were doing in the chess chess, but not especially well in female chess, but after female chess, but after this women’s World Cup.
When Arjun Erigaisi prepares for Chennai Grandmasters and then focuses on the Great Swiss and World Championships, it remains one of the brightest Indian hopes on the way to candidates. With grounded thinking and hunger for improvement, 2025 can still buy a young star.
– ends
Published:
Debodinna Chakracorty
Published on:
August 7, 2025
