Arjun Erigaisi beats Viswanathan Anand in final to claim Jerusalem Masters title
Grandmaster Arjun Erigaisi claimed the Jerusalem Masters 2025 title after defeating former world champion Viswanathan Anand in an all-Indian final on Wednesday.
After the opening rapid games ended in draws, Erigaisi secured the decisive result by winning with the white pieces in the first blitz game. The 22-year-old was again in a winning position in the second blitz encounter before settling for a draw to seal the match.
The title victory earned Erigaisi a prize purse of USD 55,000.
Erigaisi reached the final after overcoming Russian grandmaster Peter Svidler in the semifinal, while Anand advanced by beating Ian Nepomniachtchi in the other last-four clash. Both Indians progressed with wins in their respective second rapid games.
In the third-place playoff, Svidler defeated compatriot Nepomniachtchi 2.5-1.5, with the decisive result coming in the second blitz game.
Svidler had topped the preliminary round-robin stage with 8 points from 11 games, while Nepomniachtchi, Anand, and Erigaisi finished joint second on 7.5 points each.
Published on Dec 03, 2025