Continuing his rapid ascent, world champion D Gukesh dethroned Arjun Erigaisi to become the highest-ranked Indian chess player, securing fourth place in the latest FIDE rankings on Thursday.
Gukesh, 18, achieved this milestone after securing his second victory at the Tata Steel Tournament in Wijk Aan Zee (Netherlands), defeating Germany’s Vincent Keymer.
With a rating of 2784 points, Gukesh has surpassed Erigaisi, who, after a long reign as India’s top player, now stands at fifth with 2779.5 points.
World No.1 Magnus Carlsen of Norway leads the rankings with 2832.5 points, followed by United States’ Grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura (2802) and compatriot Fabiano Caruana (2798).
Gukesh’s recent form has been exceptional since his world title victory over China’s Ding Liren in December in Singapore. After taking a brief break for functions and festivities, he missed the World Rapid and Blitz Championship in New York.
However, on his return to competitive play, Gukesh has remained unbeaten in Wijk Aan Zee, with two victories and three draws across five rounds.
Arjun Erigaisi, who achieved his peak rating of 2801 in December last year, had long been India’s highest-rated player.
However, with a disappointing performance in the ongoing Tata Steel Tournament, having only garnered one point so far, he has slipped to fifth place.
Erigaisi was part of India’s successful Chess Olympiad team in Budapest last year but was unable to secure a Candidates berth at the World Rapid and Blitz Championship in New York.
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