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Norway Chess 2025: Arjun Erigaisi opens India's account as he stuns China's No. 1 in Armageddon with black pieces
India's Arjun Erigaisi started strong at Norway Chess 2025, defeating China's Wei Yi in Armageddon in the first round after a classical draw. Erigaisi now has 1.5 points in Stavanger. read more
Arjun Erigaisi won his round against Wei Yei in Armageddon after their classical game ended in a draw. Image: FIDE
Stavanger (Norway): India's Arjun Erigaisi impressed in the opening round of , beating his Chinese opponent Wei Yi in Armageddon after the two had agreed to a draw here on Monday.
Even as the spotlight was firmly on the match between India's teenage world champion D Gukesh and world No.1 Magnus Carlsen, Erigaisi, ranked No.4 in the world, was the first to take the opening points by beating China's No.1 player Wei in Armageddon after the two had agreed to a draw after 54 moves.
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Erigaisi, playing black, played aggressively to take the match to a draw and then beat his opponent on time in Armageddon.
In Armageddon, the white gets 10 minutes, while the black gets only seven, still Erigasi overcame the disadvantage to beat Wei.
With this, Erigaisi is on 1.5 points after the opening round, while Wei has one point.
In Norway Chess, players earn three points for a win in the classical format, while a draw earns both players a point each. A win in Armageddon, earns the winner 0.5 points.
An Armageddon is a type of chess tiebreak where white has time odds, meaning more time on the clock, while black has draw odds, meaning a draw is as good as a win.
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Time of India
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