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Arjun Erigaisi Biography: Age, Career, Family and More

F4U Editorial Desk • Updated September 28, 2026 • 6 min read

Quick Info

Date of birth3 September 2003

Age21 Years (as of 2024)

BirthplaceWarangal, Telangana

ProfessionChess player

NationalityIndian

Marital statusUnmarried

FamilyFather - Dr. E. Srinivas Rao; Mother - E. Jyothi; Sister - Keerthana

Arjun Erigaisi Biography

Arjun Erigaisi is an Indian chess grandmaster from Warangal, Telangana, known for a rapid rise through youth and national events to top international play.

Early life and background

Arjun Erigaisi was born on 3 September 2003 in Warangal, Telangana. He grew up in Telangana and attended Shine High School in Hanmakonda. Chess entered his life as a pastime with friends, but by the time he was eleven his family supported more formal training. His father, Dr. E. Srinivas Rao, encouraged that early development and Arjun joined Race Academy in Kothapet, SBI Colony in 2015.

Arjun made steady progress through age-group competitions. He was runner-up in an under-nine selection tournament in 2011, won the State U-11 selections in Rajahmundry in 2012, and claimed gold at the National U-13 championship in Ahmedabad in 2014. Those early achievements set the stage for rapid advancement in the international youth circuit.

Career

Arjun’s competitive trajectory saw several milestone titles and high-profile results. In 2016 he was awarded the Candidate Master title by FIDE. Two years later, in 2018, he became the first grandmaster from Telangana at the age of fourteen. He continued to build momentum with strong appearances in junior and open events through 2021 and 2022.

Notable results include finishing second at the Junior U21 Round Table Open in October 2021, and third at the Lindores Abbey Blitz Tournament in November 2021. Later that month he was runner-up in the rapid and blitz sections of the Tata Steel India Chess Tournament. In January 2022 Arjun won the Tata Steel Chess Challengers event. He followed that with victory in the MPL National Championship of India in March 2022 to become Indian National Champion, and he captured the 19th Delhi Open later that month.

August 2022 brought a major international title when Arjun won the 28th Abu Dhabi International Chess Festival. At the Chess Olympiad the same year he earned a silver medal in the individual category and crossed the 2700 FIDE rating mark, becoming the seventh Indian to reach that threshold. In September 2022 his FIDE rating was listed at 2725 and he held the world ranking of No. 24.

Arjun’s tournament schedule and training have been intensive. He has worked with coach Mikhalevski Victor through online training and has described daily practice sessions that can run up to nine hours. His preparation and results have continued to attract attention within the chess community.

Public profile

Arjun is known for a focused and soft-spoken manner. Coaches and peers have described him as attentive and receptive to instruction. He has spoken about how chess strengthened his logical thinking and resilience in the face of setbacks, and he has noted the practical costs of high-level chess competition and the desire for sponsorship to ease financial burdens on his family.

Off the board, Arjun has taken part in charitable efforts, contributing to flood relief in Kerala in 2018. He also participated in the MicroSense Kramnik Gelfand Programme in Chennai in January 2020 as part of his development.

Family

Arjun’s parents are E. Srinivas Rao, a neurosurgeon, and E. Jyothi. He has a sister named Keerthana. He is unmarried.

Latest updates

As of 2024 Arjun remained an active and highly ranked Indian grandmaster. Highlights listed for recent years include an individual gold at the 45th Chess Olympiad in Budapest and the Gaprindashvili Trophy at that Olympiad. His progress from youth champion to top-level grandmaster has been marked by national titles, international tournament victories, and rapid rating gains.

Arjun has described a childhood that involved frequent travel for tournaments and gaps in regular school attendance; he later enrolled in higher education studies in data science but is noted as a college dropout as he concentrated on chess.
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Recent Work

45th Chess Olympiad (Individual)

Gold medal at the 45th Chess Olympiad in Budapest, Hungary (individual).

2024
Gaprindashvili Trophy

Member of the team that won the Gaprindashvili Trophy at the 45th Chess Olympiad in Budapest.

2024
28th Abu Dhabi International Chess Festival

Winner of the 28th Abu Dhabi International Chess Festival.

2022
Tata Steel Chess Challengers

Winner of the Tata Steel Chess Challengers event.

2022
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Career Highlights

  1. First grandmaster from Telangana (2018)
  2. Winner of Tata Steel Chess Challengers (2022)
  3. Indian National Champion (MPL National Championship, 2022)
  4. Winner of the 28th Abu Dhabi International Chess Festival (2022)
  5. Individual silver medal at the Chess Olympiad (2022)
  6. Crossed 2700 FIDE rating (2022)
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Frequently Asked Questions

When was Arjun Erigaisi born?

3 September 2003

What is Arjun Erigaisi known for?

Chess player

What is Arjun Erigaisi’s marital status?

Unmarried