Arjun Erigiasi trails Magnus Carlsen after first day of Julius Baer Cup final

The young Indian chess Grandmaster, Arjun Erigiasi, suffered two losses in three games against World Champion Magnus Carlsen in the first day of their final clash at the Julius Baer Generation Cup.

With three rapid games played on the first day, Arjun lost the first two before holding Carlsen for a draw in the third and final game of Saturday.

Playing with the black pieces in the first game, Arjun was completely outplayed by Carlsen in the middle game before and was forced to resign. Though the colour of the pieces changed in the second game, the fortunes did not for Arjun Erigiasi as he found himself in an inferior position right out of the opening before eventually crumbling under the constant attacks of the World Champion.

The third game, though, was something which would give Arjun a bit of confidence going forward as he managed to hold Magnus Carlsen for a draw with the black pieces to end the first day with his best result.

Arjun Erigiasi had earlier defeated Le Quang Liem in the blitz tiebreaks in the semifinals of the event on Friday.