London, June 14 (H.S.): A glorious moment in the history of Indian chess occurred when the Pune-based Team MGD1, under the captaincy of Arjun Erigaisi, won the rapid title at the FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Team Championship 2025. It has become the first Indian-sponsored team to win a title in this prestigious tournament. Team MGD1 is not just a chess team but a chess management and investment organization that nurtures talent, organizes tournaments, and showcases its flagship team on the international stage. The uniqueness of this team lies in its complete basis on Indian talents, which included Arjun Erigaisi, Pentala Harikrishna, Leon Luke Mendonca, Pranav V, and Atharv P. Tayade. Exciting victory in the final round In the final round, MGD1 faced 'Malcolm's Mets,' where Arjun Erigaisi, Pranav V, and Atharv Tayade secured decisive victories to bring the team an historic title. Throughout the tournament, MGD1's main competition was against the 'Hexamind' team, featuring stars like Levon Aronian, Vidit Gujrathi, and Divya Deshmukh. Hexamind ultimately finished in second place, falling short by 1 match point, while the 'Freedom' team, led by Viswanathan Anand, secured third place with 17 points.

After four rounds on the first day of the tournament, MGD1 clinched the top position by winning all four matches. Meanwhile, the WR Chess Team, featuring stalwarts like Alireza Firouzja, Hikaru Nakamura, and Alexandra Kosteniuk, drew with Viswanathan Anand's 'Freedom' team and finished in second place.This time, two prominent names in the tournament – Magnus Carlsen and Ian Nepomniachtchi – were unable to participate. Carlsen has already won the blitz title for WR Chess in 2023, while Nepomniachtchi was absent due to passport-related issues.

The second day was special for Indian fans as Viswanathan Anand showcased his old brilliance by defeating Arjun Erigaisi in Round 5, securing a crucial victory for 'Freedom.' This was the first loss for MGD1 in this edition. However, in the very next round, MGD1 made a strong comeback by defeating WR Chess.Meanwhile, the Hexamind team continued to perform excellently, reaching parity with MGD1, and after eight rounds, both had 13 match points each. Teams like Freedom, Uzbekistan, and Germany & Friends also remained in the title race.

On the third and decisive day, MGD1 maintained composure under pressure to secure the championship victory, creating new history for Indian chess.It is noteworthy that the third edition of the FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Team Championship began on June 11 in Hammersmith, London, and will continue until June 15. This time, 55 teams participated, featuring a Swiss system of 12 rounds for the rapid phase and two days of blitz rounds.

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar