Magnus Carlsen defeats the Indian, Arjun Erigaisi to become first to cross 2900 barrier
He had a brilliant run till the final at the Julius Baer Generation Cup chess tournament in New York, but Indian teenager Arjun Erigaisi ultimately couldn’t stop the world number one Magnus Carlsen from a crushing win in the final last Sunday and becoming the first player to break the 2900 FIDE Tour Rating points barrier.
Being the first, at 31, the Norwegian is also the youngest to cross the barrier, adding to his earlier achievements of being the youngest to break the 2700-point barrier, at age 16, and the 2800-point barrier, at 18. His storied career also boasts of the achievement of becoming, at 19 years, the youngest ever world number one in the game of 64 squares.
The tournament is the seventh event of the nine-event 2022 Meltwater Champions Chess Tour, organised by chess24. The tour consists of six ‘Regular’ tournaments and three ‘Major’ tournaments. One of each is left. Carlsen and Erigaisi have already qualified for the tour-ending ‘Major’ tournament.