Magnus Carlsen slams table after loss to Arjun Erigaisi at World Blitz Championship

Magnus Carlsen’s frustration was on full display once again at the World Blitz Championship in Doha after he lost to India’s Arjun Erigaisi on Monday. The Norwegian star slammed the table following the defeat, marking the second such incident this year. Earlier, a similar moment involving Carlsen during a game against D Gukesh in Norway had gone viral.

Arjun Erigaisi delivered one of the biggest surprises of the tournament by defeating the reigning champion. The Indian grandmaster showed sharp calculation and strong endgame control, eventually winning as Carlsen ran out of time. This marked Erigaisi’s second win over Carlsen this year, after also beating him at the Norway Chess tournament in the classical format.

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The 22-year-old Indian came into the match fresh from winning a bronze medal on Sunday. He has so far recorded eight wins, two draws and only one loss, putting him among the top performers in the event.

His victory over Carlsen in Round 9 was followed by another important win against Uzbekistan’s Nodirbek Abdusattorov in Round 10, which helped him take a half-point lead at the top of the standings.

Arjun Erigaisi shines with calm strategy

During the decisive game, Carlsen opened with the French Variation of the Sicilian Defence. The balance shifted when his bishop moved back to c2, and the knight was developed to d2, allowing Erigaisi to capture the b2 pawn. Although Carlsen later won back the material, he struggled with the position and came under heavy time pressure.

The game ended with Carlsen collapsing on the clock, leading to the visible outburst.

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In Round 11, Erigaisi was held to a draw by Fabiano Caruana. After 11 rounds, Erigaisi is now joint leader with Nodirbek Abdusattorov, with both players on nine points.

Daniil Dubov, Fabiano Caruana and China’s Yu Yangyi are close behind on 8.5 points. A group of eight players, including Carlsen, Alireza Firouzja and India’s Sunilduth Narayanan, are tied on eight points.

India’s champ R Praggnanandhaa and reigning classical world champion D. Gukesh are further down the table on 7.5 points, along with several others in a large group placed jointly in 14th position.