Los Angeles, July 18 -- Indian Grandmaster and World Number 5 Arjun Erigaisi has created history by becoming the first Indian ever to reach the semifinals of the prestigious Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour, currently taking place in Las Vegas.

The 21-year-old prodigy secured his place in the final four with a clinical 1.5 - 0.5 victory over World No. 7 Nodirbek Abdusattorov in the quarterfinals, as per a press release from MGD1.

Arjun won the first rapid game and drew the second, eliminating the Uzbek star in a format that rewards creativity over memorised openings.

Arjun had earlier advanced from the round-robin stage with a strong showing, scoring 4 points from 7 games, including 3 wins and 2 draws, against a field packed with global...