Indian Grandmaster Arjun Erigaisi secured the bronze medal at the FIDE World Blitz Championship in Doha on Tuesday, drawing praise from Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his remarkable achievement.
Congratulating the 22-year-old, PM Modi took to X and wrote:
“India’s strides in chess continue! Congratulations to Arjun Erigaisi for winning the bronze at the FIDE World Blitz Chess Championship in Doha, following his bronze medal at the FIDE World Rapid Chess Championship recently. His skills, patience, and passion are exemplary. His successes will continue to inspire our youth. My best wishes to him.”
India’s strides in chess continue!
Congratulations to Arjun Erigaisi for winning the Bronze at the FIDE World Blitz Chess Championship in Doha, following his bronze medal in FIDE Rapid Chess Championship recently. His skills, patience and passion are exemplary. His successes…
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 31, 2025
Erigaisi had earlier clinched a bronze medal at the 2025 FIDE World Rapid Championship, making it a memorable outing in Doha. With podium finishes in both the rapid and blitz formats, he achieved a rare feat, becoming only the second Indian male player after Viswanathan Anand to medal in the open category of both events.
His campaign at the World Blitz Championship ended in the semi-finals, where he lost 0.5-2.5 to Uzbekistan’s Nodirbek Abdusattorov, despite a dominant league-stage performance. Erigaisi finished the league phase with 14.5 points from 18 rounds, registering 12 wins, five draws, and just one loss, which secured him a place in the knockout stage.
Erigaisi shared the bronze medal with American Grandmaster Fabiano Caruana, who was defeated 1-3 by Magnus Carlsen in the other semi-final.
Carlsen went on to clinch his sixth World Blitz title. However, the Norwegian once again found himself in the spotlight for his animated reaction under time pressure, banging the table during his game against Erigaisi. The incident, similar to a previous outburst against D Gukesh, went viral on social media, sparking mixed reactions from fans.
In the women’s section, India’s Koneru Humpy also claimed a bronze medal at the World Rapid Championship, tying on 8.5 points with Zhu Jiner and Aleksandra Goryachkina. As per tie-break rules, Zhu and Goryachkina advanced to the playoff, where Goryachkina defeated Zhu to win the gold medal.
Both Arjun Erigaisi and Koneru Humpy received appreciation from Prime Minister Narendra Modi as well as the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, who lauded their dedication and contributions to Indian chess.