India will have to look beyond World Champion D Gukesh or chess sensation R Praggnanandhaa as Arjun Erigaisi will be India’s lone representative at the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Finals in South Africa this December. The year-end showdown, set for December 8–11 at the Grootbos Private Nature Reserve in the Western Cape, marks the first Freestyle Chess Grand Slam ever held on African soil. Eight of the world’s top grandmasters will battle for the final title of 2025 and the right to be crowned Freestyle Chess Champion 2025. Joining Arjun in the star-studded field are Magnus Carlsen , Fabiano Caruana, Vincent Keymer, Levon Aronian, Hans Niemann, Parham Maghsoodloo, and Javokhir Sindarov. For India, the spotlight now firmly falls on 22-year-old Arjun, who has quietly built a reputat

See Full Page