He became a GM at the age of 14 years and 11 months and currently has an Elo of 2559. At just 17 years of age, Arjun Erigaisi from Warangal, Telangana is all set to become one of the best chess players in the world. But how did it all begin? Who were the people who helped him on his journey of chess? What are his qualities that have helped him to climb the ladder of chess improvement so quickly? Saishyam Srikanth interviews Arjun and brings out an enlightening portrait of the youngster. Also interviewed in this article are Arjun's close friend Nihal Sarin, his current coach Srinath Narayanan, and Sagar Shah, who has been following his chess journey closely for several years now.  

A peek into the life and career of the young Grandmaster from Warangal

The year is 2008. A school-teacher in Tirupati asks one of her students, a five-year-old to take up the sport of chess since she thinks that he is quite a sharp kid. But as circumstances would have it, it takes three more years before the kid is able to fulfil the teacher’s request. Little did anyone know that this request would be the start of a journey that has eventually led to the youngster, Arjun Erigaisi, earning the title of Grandmaster. Today, Arjun Erigaisi is ranked 20th in the Junior rankings all across the world with an ELO Rating of 2559. He earned his GM norms in the year 2018 and received the title of Grandmaster when he was just 14 years old. This is faster than the likes of Fabiano Caruana, Daniil Dubov, Yu Yangyi and several other world class players!