Chess GM Arjun Erigaisi urges US Embassy to resolve visa delay forward of FIDE World Fast & Blitz Championship

Indian chess Grandmaster Arjun Erigaisi was compelled on Friday to take to social media and enchantment to america Embassy to expedite the method of granting him the visa to compete within the FIDE World Fast & Blitz Championship, which can happen in New York from 26 to 31 December. Erigaisi additionally requested Exterior Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Sports activities Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, and the All India Chess Federation (AICF) to assist him get the visa.

“@USAndIndia Final week I submitted my passport to you for visa stamping and it nonetheless has not been returned. I request you to please expedite the method and return my passport as quickly as attainable as I want it for my journey to New York for World Fast & Blitz Championship,” wrote Erigaisi, 21, on ‘X’.

“If anybody may help me with this please DM,” added Erigaisi, who lately turned the second Indian after legendary Viswanathan Anand, and sixteenth worldwide,
to achieve the gold-standard ELO ranking of 2800.

. @USAndIndia Final week I submitted my passport to you for visa stamping and it nonetheless has not been returned. I request you to please expedite the method and return my passport as quickly as attainable as I want it for my journey to New York for World Fast & Blitz Championship 🙏

If…

— Arjun Erigaisi (@ArjunErigaisi) December 20, 2024

Round 300 chess gamers, together with the world’s top-rated participant and former world champion in classical chess, Magnus Carlsen, and three former World Championship challengers, Fabiano Caruana, Ian Nepomniachtchi, and Boris Gelfand, amongst others will probably be in motion within the FIDE World Fast & Blitz Championship. Nevertheless,
new chess world champion D Gukesh has determined to sit down out.

Erigaisi: A favorite for World Fast & Blitz Championship

Erigaisi has been in sensational type this 12 months, having received a person gold in addition to staff title in India’s latest historic efficiency within the Chess Olympiad.

Erigaisi, who at present occupies the fourth spot within the newest rankings, had missed out on qualifying for the Candidates in Toronto earlier this 12 months however a win on the Fast & Blitz Championship will probably be a shot within the arm for the 21-year-old from Warangal in Telangana.

The opposite main gamers competing within the championship embody, Hikaru Nakamura, Wesley So, Levon Aronian, Jeffrey Xiong, Leinier Domignuez Perez, Hans Niemann and Sam Shankland.

With company inputs