- GM Arjun Erigaisi secured first place in the July 7 Titled Tuesday tournament with a score of 9.5/11
- Seven players tied for second place with 9 points, including GM Hikaru Nakamura and GM Dmitry Andreikin
- Erigaisi maintained an undefeated record through seven rounds before the competition tightened
- The unclaimed perfect score bounty climbs to $1,750 for next week’s tournament
Erigaisi Breaks Through for 2026 Victory
GM Arjun Erigaisi earned his first Titled Tuesday win of 2026 by capturing the July 7 tournament with an impressive 9.5 out of 11 points. His outright victory came just ahead of a seven-player tie, establishing himself as a formidable competitor in Chess.com’s weekly titled tournament series.
Early Dominance Sets the Tone
Erigaisi entered the competition as one of five players with a perfect 5-0 start, but proved to be the only one from that group to finish in the top eight. His momentum built through careful play, highlighted by a comeback victory against GM Andrey Esipenko in the sixth round. A methodical performance against IM Matvey Galchenko in round seven extended his undefeated record to 6.5 points, keeping him as the sole player without a loss.
At that stage, GMs Pranesh M and Sergey Sklokin remained close behind on 6.5 out of 7 points. When Pranesh chose to face Erigaisi with the Black pieces in round eight, attempting to derail his countrymate’s perfect run, the strategy paid off. Pranesh secured victory and forced Erigaisi into his first loss, handing over the tournament lead.
Shifting Positions Through the Middle Rounds
The lead changed hands repeatedly as round nine unfolded. After Sklokin fell to GM Hans Niemann, Pranesh held sole possession of first place. However, the dynamics shifted once more when Niemann extended his winning streak to seven consecutive victories by defeating Pranesh, while Erigaisi recovered from his previous loss by outplaying GM Fabiano Caruana. GM Dmitry Andreikin simultaneously conquered GM Volodar Murzin, creating a three-way tie at the summit with two rounds remaining.
Decisive Final Rounds
Round ten proved decisive. Erigaisi regained the lead by defeating Andreikin in an endgame that unfolded with an unusual character reminiscent of Chess960, despite the opening following standard theory. Simultaneously, Niemann faced Nakamura on the tournament’s top board. After Nakamura publicly told his streaming audience that he expected to settle for a draw, the position unexpectedly resolved in his favor, though the final outcome remained unclear.
Entering the final round, Erigaisi held a one-point lead with only GM Alexander Grischuk capable of threatening his victory. A draw against Nakamura in the last game would have likely secured his win. Despite Nakamura exploring various winning attempts, the match concluded as a draw.
Meanwhile, Grischuk’s hopes ended when he walked into a devastating discovery against Denis Lazavik, confirming Erigaski’s outright triumph.
Prize Distribution and Perfect Score Bounty
Erigaisi collected the first-place prize of $2,500 for his victory. Nakamura earned $1,500 for his second-place finish among the tied competitors, while Andreikin claimed the third-place prize of $1,000. Niemann, Pranesh M, and Aleksei Sarana rounded out the top six with prizes of $700, $400, and $400 respectively.
The unclaimed perfect score bounty grows by $250 weekly without an 11/11 achievement and will now stand at $1,750 for the next Titled Tuesday tournament. First-place finishers in the past have targeted this substantial additional prize.
About Titled Tuesday
Titled Tuesday is Chess.com’s signature weekly tournament open exclusively to titled players. The tournament begins each week at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time, 5:00 p.m. Central European Time, and 8:30 p.m. Indian Standard Time, attracting some of the world’s strongest chess competitors.