Jerusalem Masters: Arjun Erigaisi triumphs over Viswanathan Anand in an all-Indian showdown

Indian ace Arjun Erigaisi clinched the 2025 Jerusalem Masters on Wednesday, defeating the veteran Viswanathan Anand in the final on a tiebreak playoff in Israel.

In an All-Indian final, Arjun got the better of his senior compatriot in the blitz tie-break, leaving behind his heartbreak from the recently concluded World Cup.

After playing two draws in the rapid games, Arjun bounced back strongly in the 3+2 Blitz tiebreak match, outclassing Anand with the white pieces.

In the reverse fixture, Anand tried to push hard for a win with white pieces, but Arjun's solid gameplay didn't allow him, forcing Anand to play for a draw.

Earlier in the semi-finals, Anand got the better of Ian Nepomniachtchi (1.5-0.5), and Arjun defeated the round robin stage winner Peter Svidler to confirm an all Indian final.

With this title, Arjun also avenged his loss against Anand at the FIDE World Rapid & Blitz Team Championships in June earlier this year.

Praggnanandhaa finishes as joint winner in London

Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa, who is fighting for a 2026 FIDE Candidate spot as the circuit leader, added a few more crucial ranking points after finishing in joint top position at the London Chess Classic 2025.

Heading into the final round, Praggnandhaa was in a sole lead at the leaderboard, but a last-round draw against Israel's Ilya Smirin left him tied for first with 7 points.

He eventually shared the trophy with Velimir Ivic (Serbia) and Ameet K Ghasi (England), solidifying his position at the top of this year's FIDE circuit rankings.