After brief muddle, Arjun revives result-free mindset

At some point during this year's Tata Steel Chess tournament in Wijk aan Zee—where he suffered four defeats in the first seven rounds—Arjun Erigaisi was almost compelled to abandon his recent mindset of not chasing points or worrying about results.

- Rutvick Mehta

STAVANGER: At some point during this year's Tata Steel Chess tournament in Wijk aan Zee—where he suffered four defeats in the first seven rounds—Arjun Erigaisi was almost compelled to abandon his recent mindset of not chasing points or worrying about results.

"I just could no longer continue with it," Arjun said. "So, during Wijk, it changed a bit. But as of now, I'm back to that mindset."

And back to winning. He defeated Gukesh D in an all-Indian second-round clash at Norway Chess—his second classical win over the world champion this year. The win propelled him to world No. 3 in the live ratings, displacing Gukesh as the country's highest-ranked player.

It was a game marked by a familiar opening and an unusual ending, with the typically inscrutable Gukesh letting some emotion show. Right after resigning and offering the handshake, Gukesh covered his face with his left hand, turned away from the cameras, and sat tucked away for an extended period.

Arjun emerged and summed up his feelings in one word: relief. Relief at not letting Gukesh escape with a draw in a battle he felt should have been wrapped up much earlier.

"I thought I was winning in the middlegame itself, and if I had screwed that up, it would've really affected my thoughts," Arjun said.