Top-ranked Indian across all formats, Arjun Erigaisi is described by his mother as a jhala prasantamaina abbayi, a very calm boy. Yet that same calm boy transforms into a destructive beast the moment he steps up to the chessboard. Having finished third in the Rapid event of the 2026 Tata Steel Chess India tournament in Kolkata, Arjun began the Blitz portion with a blitzkrieg of his own. On Saturday, he took down five opponents one by one, starting with five straight wins, many of which were swindled in his favour at the very last second. Facing the Russian teenager and 2024 World Rapid Champion, Murzin, Arjun found himself in a precarious position after holding equality for 51 moves. Both players were down to mere seconds on the clock, and Arjun was hanging by a thread. In a sharp position, Murzin needed to find a winning sequence, but against a resourceful Arjun, that was never going to be easy. A pawn down, Arjun managed to snatch back a pawn and steer the game toward a draw …