Malmo, 08 May (H.S.): World number-one chess grandmaster Magnus Carlsen secured the ‘TePe Sigeman & Co Chess Tournament 2026’ crown on Thursday by defeating Indian grandmaster Arjun Erigaisi in a sudden-death playoff.

Erigaisi, unbeaten through the main event with a stellar performance, fell short in the title decider by the narrowest of margins. The tiebreakers saw each player claim one victory, forcing a sudden-death finish where Carlsen prevailed.

This marks the second occasion Erigaisi has missed the prestigious title, having shared second place in 2024 as well.

Entering the final round with a solo lead on 4.5/6 points, Erigaisi trailed half a point ahead of Carlsen and Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus. A win over Andy Woodward would have crowned him outright, but the draw handed Carlsen parity.

Carlsen, meanwhile, overcame Erdogmus in the last round to level with Erigaisi and force playoffs.

Notably, Erigaisi had drawn against Carlsen in the tournament's opening round.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar