Nearly there: Arjun Erigaisi, India's most complete player, yet short of the finish line

Arjun Erigaisi, finished the 2025 season strong, winning two bronze medals at the 2025 World Rapid and Blitz Championships in Doha on Tuesday.

The 22-year-old had finished on top of the standings by one whole point in blitz but went down in the semi-finals to Nodirbek Abdusattorov. Had the winner been crowned after the swiss rounds like in the rapid section, he would have been a world champion.

The semi-final loss, in essence, summed up the 2025 season for Erigaisi. It was a year he established himself as the most well-rounded Indian Grandmaster only to suffer heartbreaks just before the finish line.

It happened at the 2025 FIDE World Cup in Goa. And before that at the 2025 Grand Swiss as well.

The lone Indian surviving in the home world cup, Erigaisi lost out in the quarter-finals, dashing his hopes of making it to the Candidates for a second-time in a row.

At the Grand Swiss, Erigaisi was in contention to finish in the top-two and earn a Candidates spot but slipped down to sixth, finishing half-a-point behind Matthias Bluebaum, who finished second to qualify.

He had missed out on qualifying via the 2024 FIDE Circuit root as well last year after leading for most part, as Fabiano Caruana made a late dash by winning the titles at US Masters and St Louis Masters

Erigaisi did manage to put all of it in the back to win double bronze at the World Rapid and Blitz, becoming the first Indian man after Viswananthan Anand to medal in the two events. But he would know there was a better medal for taking in both sections.

In the rapid event, Erigaisi started well before digging himself into a hole on the second day. He fought back to finish strongly to earn a spot on the podium.

In blitz, there was no stopping the Indian. He even beat Carlsen in the swiss stage, forcing the Norwegian into a now famous table slam, but faltered in the semis when the stakes were high.

Erigaisi seems to have a clear issue in wrapping things up after good starts. GM Srinath Naraynan, attributes it to the lack of opportunities the youngster has had in facing the elite players.

"While there have been a few tough losses and near-misses in key moments, it’s also worth noting that he hasn’t had as many opportunities to face the absolute elite - the 2750+ group as much as he deserves. That exposure plays a crucial role in a player’s development at this level," Srinath wrote in a social media post.

"These are fine margins, and at the very top, those small differences often become the decisive factor," he added.

Eriagisi, for the longest time, did not receive invitations to the elite tournaments where those rated above 2750 play. He had to break that door down last year, by going on a mad winning spree in the open tournaments – where those rated until 2700 play.

It was only this year that he truly started to play against the best in the world and he showcased that he belongs.

Erigaisi ends 2025 as India’s highest ranked player across formats – Classical, Rapid, and Blitz. He is ranked world No 5 in classical, blitz and an even better world No 3 in rapid.

In hindsight, it must have been a year of heartbreaks and near misses but knowing how Erigaisi operates one could safely assume: 2026 could be the year he breaks the door down with title triumphs.