Arjun Erigaisi (born 3 September 2003) is an Indian chess grandmaster from Telangana. Known for his fearless, attacking style and his willingness to play almost any tournament, he climbed into the world’s top five in 2024. That year he won team gold and an individual board gold at the Chess Olympiad and became only the second Indian, after Viswanathan Anand, to cross a rating of 2800.
Quick Facts
| Full name | Arjun Kumar Erigaisi |
| Born | 3 September 2003, Warangal, Telangana, India |
| Age | 23 |
| Title | Grandmaster (2018) |
| Peak rating | Above 2800 (December 2024) |
| Father | A neurosurgeon |
| Known for | Olympiad double gold, 2800 rating |
Early Life
Erigaisi was born in Warangal and spent part of his childhood in Tirupati and Hanamkonda as his father, a neurosurgeon, changed postings. A kindergarten teacher noticed his memory and suggested chess. He began playing seriously at about eleven, later than most prodigies, and trained at an academy in Warangal before working with the grandmaster Srinath Narayanan.
Career
He earned the grandmaster title in 2018 at 14 years and 11 months, becoming the first from Telangana to do so.
During the pandemic he made his name in online events, reaching the final of a Champions Chess Tour tournament. In 2022 he won the Tata Steel Challengers, the national championship, the Delhi Open and the Abu Dhabi Masters, and gained rating points at a rate rarely seen. He also beat Magnus Carlsen in an online rapid game.
He narrowly missed qualifying for the 2024 Candidates Tournament. At the Budapest Olympiad in September 2024 he scored 10 points from 11 games on board three, winning the individual gold, as India took the team gold for the first time alongside Gukesh and Praggnanandhaa. He won the WR Chess Masters in London that October and passed 2800 on the rating list of December 2024, reaching number three in the world. He has continued to compete in elite and freestyle chess events and won medals in rapid and blitz world championships in 2025.
Style
Arjun is known for choosing sharp, risky openings and playing for a win with both colours, even against lower-rated opponents in open tournaments, an approach other top players have praised as brave.
Major Results
Frequently Asked Questions
When and where was Arjun Erigaisi born?
Arjun Erigaisi was born on 3 September 2003 in Warangal, Telangana, India and is 23 years old.
What is Arjun Erigaisi known for?
Known for: Olympiad double gold, 2800 rating.
Featured image: Arjun Erigaisi at the Tata Steel Chess Tournament, Wijk aan Zee, January 2023. Photo by Frans Peeters, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
