BUDAPEST: In one of the biggest upsets in a classical-rated game in a long, long time, Bibisara Assaubayeva took down Arjun Erigaisi thanks to a stunning middle game where the Kazakh player completely turned the tables over the India No. 2.
Erigaisi, who enjoyed a rating difference of almost 200 points over his opponent on Thursday, had gotten a very pleasant position out of the opening. Playing with the white pieces, he was pushing hard to convert a small advantage. However, he overstretched. In the process, some structural weaknesses emerged. The Kazakh, known for her blitz prowess, locked in and played a number of flawless to convert her totally winning advantage. In the end, the Indian was forced to resign as the spectre of checkmate was beginning to loom large.
"I'm very happy," the 22-year-old said after the game. "I don't know where he made a mistake. It feels amazing." From a classical perspective, this is the biggest win for the reigning world women's blitz champion. However, she refused to look into the future when asked if her ambitions for the rest of the tournament had changed following her win with the black pieces.
With the King's Indian on the board, Erigaisi long castled. He also had initiative on the centre of the board. To compound matters, the Kazakh's pawn structure was already compromised. But the pivotal moment in the game came on 24. Qa5. The engines jumped to give Assaubayeva a winning advantage when the only move was 24. Qb7. After this, it was just a question of playing precise moves which she did. It also included removing the queens off the board as she two runaway pawns next to the king. Erigaisi tried one last trick he had but he shook hands when he realised his game was up.
As soon as Assaubayeva, the women's World No. 6 coming into the game, got into a winning position, the dynamics around the venue changed. In a hall with Magnus Carlsen playing, it's very rare for multiple cameras to focus on any other game. But there were four cameras watching the game between the Indian and the Kazakh. All of them had sensed that a resignation was about to come.
And as soon as she played 46. Rxd2, Erigaisi shook her hands. Moments later, she was more than happy to oblige the journalists from different countries present in the mixed zone. "I feel amazing," she said.
What does this do to Erigaisi' chances of advancing from the group in top spot? There are still seven games remaining but he has not made a good start to the tournament -- two draws and a loss means he's currently in fourth spot.
Bad day for Indians
Erigaisi wasn't the only Indian to go down in the third round of the pilot edition of the Total Chess World Championship. Both R Praggnanandhaa and R Vaishali lost their third round fixtures as well. While the former lost to Fabiano Caruana, the latter went down to Hans Niemann.
