Arjun Erigaisi Shines in Budapest as India Crush Mongolia in Asian Nations Chess Cup

Indian chess players delivered mixed performances at the Total Chess World Championship Tour Pilot 2026 in Budapest, Hungary, while the men's team registered a convincing 3.5–0.5 victory over Mongolia in the Asian Nations Chess Cup in Abu Dhabi on Friday, November 13.

At the Total Chess tournament, Arjun Erigaisi defeated American grandmaster Wesley So in Group D's opening game of Round 3, bouncing back from his previous-round defeat against Bibisara Assaubayeva. Erigaisi had recovered from that loss by winning their return game on November 12. Meanwhile, R. Praggnanandhaa drew against Vladislav Artemiev in Group B, while R. Vaishali lost to Assaubayeva in Group D.

Praggnanandhaa entered the round following two consecutive defeats against Fabiano Caruana, while Vaishali had lost both her previous games against Hans Niemann. Caruana led Group B with 10 points, while Niemann and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave shared the lead in Group D with eight points each before Friday's matches.

The tournament features 24 elite players divided into four groups of six, competing in a double round-robin format under a 45-minute plus 30-second increment time control.

Meanwhile, India, the top-seeded men's team, produced an impressive performance against Mongolia in Round 5 of the Asian Nations Chess Cup. Nihal Sarin, Pranesh M and Aravindh Chithambaram secured individual victories, while Pranav V drew his game, giving India a commanding 3.5–0.5 result.

India had earlier defeated Kazakhstan 3.5–0.5 in Round 3, with Pranav, Pranesh and Aravindh winning their games, while Nihal drew. However, the team suffered a 1–3 defeat against Russia in Round 4. Nihal and Pranesh lost their games, while Pranav and Aravindh secured draws.

The Asian Nations Chess Cup features 20 men's teams and 12 women's teams and is being held at the Sheraton Abu Dhabi. India's victory over Mongolia provided an important boost to its campaign as the competition progressed.