New Delhi: Indian grandmaster Arjun Erigaisi is going through a race against time. On Friday, he appealed to the United States Embassy to expedite the process of his visa stamping and return it to him so that he can compete in the World Rapid & Blitz Championship which begins in New York in less than a week. The tournament will see world-class chess players taking part like the world’s top-rated player and former world champion in classical chess, Magnus Carlsen.
Around 300 chess players will grace the mega event including three former World Championship challengers, Fabiano Caruana, Ian Nepomniachtchi, and Boris Gelfand, who will all be in action in the championship which kicks off on December 26 and will run till 31.
Erigaisi cried out for help on his social media account on “X”, issuing a plea to the US Embassy and also requesting External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, and the All India Chess Federation (AICF) to help him out in the matter.
“@USAndIndia Last week I submitted my passport to you for visa stamping and it still has not been returned. I request you to please expedite the process and return my passport as soon as possible as I need it for my travel to New York for World Rapid & Blitz Championship. If anyone can help me with this please DM,” wrote 21-year-old Erigaisi.
. @USAndIndia Last week I submitted my passport to you for visa stamping and it still has not been returned. I request you to please expedite the process and return my passport as soon as possible as I need it for my travel to New York for World Rapid & Blitz Championship 🙏
If…
— Arjun Erigaisi (@ArjunErigaisi) December 20, 2024
Erigaisi’s form so far
Erigaisi claimed the spotlight as he recently became the second Indian after great Viswanathan Anand, and the 16th worldwide, to reach a gold-standard ELO rating of 2800. The ongoing year has been sensational for Erigaisi as he not just won an individual gold but also bagged the team title in India’s recent historic win in the Chess Olympiad. Erigaisi currently sits fourth in the latest rankings, having missed out on Candidates’ qualifications in Toronto earlier this year.
It was D Gukesh who qualified from the Candidates to set up a World Championship clash with Ding Liren of China in Singapore, which India recently won. The World Rapid & Blitz event could be a chance for Erigaisi to overcome the disappointment. The showpiece event will have other leading players like Levon Aronian, Jeffrey Xiong, Leinier Dominguez Perez, Hikaru Nakamura, Wesley So, Sam Shankland, and Hans Niemann.
Arjun Erigaisi will represent India at the World Rapid & Blitz Championship which begins in less than a week and he still seeks his visa from the US embassy in India. Other Sports Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
