How Arjun Erigaisi took down Magnus Carlsen in Hong Kong

With Aryan Abhijeet Shah's victory over Wadim Rosenstein and Arjun's win over Carlsen, MGD1 defeated WR Chess 3.5-2.5.

Arjun Erigaisi in action during World Rapid and Blitz Team Championship 2026 in Hong Kong. (FIDE/Michal Walusza)

3 min readJun 18, 2026 11:49 PM IST First published on: Jun 18, 2026 at 11:48 PM IST

Just days after R. Praggnanandhaa’s impressive exploits at Norway Chess 2026, where he defeated Magnus Carlsen twice, another Indian has struck a blow against the five-time World Champion. Arjun Erigaisi tasted victory over Carlsen during the second day of the FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Team Championship 2026 in Hong Kong.

Arjun, representing defending Rapid team champions MGD1, played on top board against a star-studded WR Chess side, who were hot favourites and led by Carlsen on Board No. 1.

In the sixth round of the Rapid event, Arjun was pitted against Carlsen, and his win helped MGD1 defeat WR Chess in a high-octane clash.

In a wild Queen’s Gambit Declined game, an uncharacteristic rook blunder by Carlsen proved decisive. The Norwegian had earlier sacrificed his bishop in desperation to gain an edge, but a queen b6 check from Arjun ensured the advantage stayed with the Indian.

Arjun admitted he initially thought he had missed something when Carlsen launched the aggressive bishop takes e6 sacrifice. However, he quickly found the right sequence.

“It got really interesting after that. I saw it but I didn’t really think it would work. But after he took, I first thought I missed something, but then I found this direct queen b6 check. I believe I am better, but it’s not that clear. In the end, I think rook d8 was quite important, sacking back the exchange,” Arjun told FIDE.

“I think it was still fine for him at that point, but there were a lot of threats. In time pressure, with the weak king, it wasn’t easy for him to play,” he added.

When Carlsen sacrificed his piece, Arjun responded instantly and assessed the position with clarity.

“I mean, I had to take back the piece. I had no other option, so I took that move immediately. Then the options were whether to move the rook or first give the check. I was considering the rook move for a lot of time, but then I saw it was not working. Then I realised it was smart to give the check first, and then I am doing well,” he analysed.

Arjun sacked back his rook before Carlsen blundered his rook and eventually resigned on the 30th move.

With Aryan Abhijeet Shah’s victory over Wadim Rosenstein and Arjun’s win over Carlsen, MGD1 defeated WR Chess 3.5-2.5.

The 2026 FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Team Championships are being held from June 17 to 21 in Hong Kong, with nearly 50 teams of six players competing. Each team is featuring at least one female player and one “recreational player,” who has never been rated 2000 or above. The Rapid event is a 12-round Swiss with a time control of 15 minutes for all moves, plus a 10-second increment per move.