Budapest(Hungary), 15 November (H.S.): Indian players produced mixed results on the fourth day of the Fast Classical group stage at the Total Chess World Championship Tour Pilot. Arjun Erigaisi defeated Maxime Vachier-Lagrave to move into a three-way tie for the lead in Group D, while Anish Giri strengthened his position at the top of Group C with a win and a draw against Abhimanyu Mishra. Meanwhile, Rameshbabu Vaishali suffered defeats in both her games against Wesley So. R. Praggnanandhaa lost one game and drew the other against Richard Rapport.

A total of 24 games were played across the seventh and eighth rounds on the fourth day, with 10 producing decisive results. Each player faced the same opponent twice, switching colours between the two games. The scoring system awards three points for a win and one for a draw. Wesley So was the only player to win both his games on the day, collecting the maximum six points.

The tournament is being contested across four groups. In Group A, Alireza Firouzja leads with 13 points, while Fabiano Caruana tops Group B with 16 points, holding a four-point advantage. Anish Giri leads Group C with 13 points. In Group D, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, Hans Moke Niemann and Arjun Erigaisi are jointly at the top with 13 points apiece.

Erigaisi Ends Vachier-Lagrave's Unbeaten Run

In Group D, Arjun Erigaisi delivered an impressive performance to end Maxime Vachier-Lagrave's unbeaten run in the Fast Classical format. Their first game ended in a draw, but Erigaisi secured victory with the white pieces in the second encounter after outplaying his opponent in the endgame. The win took him to 13 points, level with Vachier-Lagrave, placing the Indian grandmaster in a three-way tie for the group lead.

In the same group, Hans Moke Niemann also collected four points from his two games against Bibisara Assaubayeva, securing one win and one draw to reach 13 points. Niemann won the first game with the white pieces, while Assaubayeva held him to a draw in the return encounter. Their second game was the longest of the day. Assaubayeva has nine points.

Wesley So claimed both games against Indian player Vaishali Rameshbabu, earning six points. The result took his overall tally to 10, leaving him three points behind the three joint leaders. Vaishali remains at the bottom of the group with four points.

Giri Takes Control of Group C After Win and Draw Against Mishra

In Group C, Anish Giri moved to the top with 13 points after recording a win and a draw against India's Abhimanyu Mishra. Giri won their first game with the white pieces after a strong endgame performance, while the return encounter ended in a draw. He now holds a two-point lead over his nearest challengers. Mishra has six points.

Elsewhere in the group, Ian Nepomniachtchi defeated the day's leading player, Haik Martirosyan, in their return encounter after their first game had ended in a draw. Both players now have 11 points.

Magnus Carlsen and Shakhriyar Mamedyarov drew both their games. Mamedyarov has nine points, while Carlsen has seven. The Norwegian has yet to register a victory in the Fast Classical format, having drawn seven games and lost one so far.

Praggnanandhaa Loses to Rapport, Holds Him to a Draw in Return Game

In Group B, India's R. Praggnanandhaa lost one of his games against Richard Rapport, while their second encounter ended in a draw. In the closing stages of the first game, Rapport capitalised on an error by Praggnanandhaa and recovered from a difficult position to secure victory by checkmate. The return game was drawn.

The results took Rapport's tally to nine points and Praggnanandhaa's to five. The victory was Rapport's first in the Fast Classical format of the tournament.

In another Group B contest, Fabiano Caruana and Liem Le drew both their games. Caruana continues to lead the group with 16 points, maintaining a four-point advantage. He has recorded four wins and four draws so far. Liem Le is second with 12 points and remains unbeaten.

Vincent Keymer also registered his first victory in the Fast Classical format, defeating Vladislav Artemiev in their return encounter. Their opening game ended in a draw, before Keymer secured the win with the white pieces. Keymer now has eight points, while Artemiev has six.

Firouzja Maintains Group A Lead as Van Foreest and Duda Remain Level

In Group A, Alireza Firouzja and Jan-Krzysztof Duda drew both their games. Firouzja remains at the top with 13 points, while Duda has 11.

Jorden van Foreest collected three points from his two encounters against Andrew Hong, recording one win and one defeat to draw level with Duda on 11 points. Hong won the first game with the black pieces, but Van Foreest bounced back in the return encounter, also playing with black, to level the score. Hong has nine points.

Levon Aronian and Nodirbek Abdusattorov also drew both their games. Aronian has nine points, while Abdusattorov has seven. Firouzja therefore retains a two-point advantage ahead of the final two rounds of the group stage.

Two More Games Remain for Every Player

Each player has two games remaining in the Fast Classical round-robin stage. Once these encounters are completed, the final group standings will determine the players' placement in six knockout brackets.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar