New Delhi, July 18 -- Indian Grandmaster and World no. 5 Arjun Erigaisi 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.

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

His imaginative and fea...