India’s highest-rated chess player Grandmaster (GM) Arjun Erigasi, has won the Stepan Avagyan Memorial 2024 crown in Jermuk, Armenia, with a round to spare. The 20-year-old chess player from Telangana defeated Russian GM Volodar Murzin in 63 moves in the eighth and penultimate round to take his six points with four wins and as many draws. He now has an unassailable lead of 1.5 points over three players tied for second spot in a strong 10-player field.
In the final round of the tournament, Arjun will face GM Manuel Petrosyan of Armenia.
The victory also helped Arjun jump to a career-high live rating of No. 4.
Arjun has been in fine form this year, bagging the Menorca Open crown in April, finished second in the TePe Sigeman Chess Tournament in May and also finished joint-fifth in the Sharjah Masters Open tournament.
