Gukesh's achievement is massive & I'm very happy for him: Erigaisi

IT was no surprise for Arjun Erigaisi to witness his teammate and friend D Gukesh become a world champion. The India No 1 had predicted the recent World Chess Championship to be a one-sided event in favour of Gukesh while speaking to this daily last month.

- AJAY TOMAR @Hyderabad

Speaking to this daily from Doha, where he was participating in Qatar Masters (finished in a tie for second place), Erigaisi said, "Gukesh's achievement is massive and I am very happy for him. The result was not a surprise in any way but it was a pleasant surprise to see it happen today (Thursday) as it looked like it was going to head into playoffs."

The Qatar Masters result means that GM Fabiano Caruana still maintains a narrow lead over him in the 2024 FIDE Circuit, the leader of which will qualify for the 2026 Candidates event. As per a social media chess tracker handle 'Chess Numbers India,' Erigaisi needs to win the World Rapid Championship or tie at most with three players and win on tie breaks to overtake Caruana in the FIDE circuit.

However, the Telangana chess prodigy believes that it is still "very early" to think about that now while stressing upon celebrating Gukesh's historic achievement. "I think we should all just enjoy Gukesh's victory for now."