Erigaisi 'smiles' after edging legend Vishy to win Jerusalem Masters

Viswanathan Anand is clearly past his prime, but elite players still take pride in beating the veteran. Arjun Erigaisi posted a smiley on his socials after beating the legend in tie-breakers to win the Jerusalem Masters.

Erigaisi got the better of Vishy 2.5-1.5 by winning the first game of a blitz tie-breaker while their other games ended in draws.

Erigaisi had qualified for the playoffs as the fourth-placed player from a field of 12 at the end of the round-robin phase. Peter Svidler had topped the group with 8 points, followed by Ian Nepomniachtchi and Vishy, all on 7.5 points.

In the semifinals, Erigaisi defeated Svidler and Vishy knocked out Nepomniachtchi to set up the all-Indian final.

Erigaisi, 22, is the current India No 1 with an Elo of 2775, while Vishy is ranked 12th in the world. The 55-year-old five-time World Champion only competes in select tournaments nowadays. Regardless, he is India's No. 4, only two spots below reigning World Champion D Gukesh.