Total Chess: Arjun Erigaisi leads Group D to stay in semis race

Arjun Erigaisi secured his place in the semi-finals of the Total Chess pilot event after clinching a victory over Vaishali R in the final round's first game. This win propelled Erigaisi to the top of Group D with a lead of 16 points, a two-point advantage over French player Maxime Vachier-Lagrave. Vaishali R, on the other hand, has managed to secure only one win out of her nine games played in Budapest.

With the pressure on to maintain their position, Erigaisi and Vachier-Lagrave faced off in a crucial double-header on Sunday. Earlier, Erigaisi had managed to tie with Vachier-Lagrave by ending the unbeaten streak of Frenchman Maxime. However, Vachier-Lagrave's draw against Kazakh grandmaster Bibisara Assaubayeva gave Erigaisi a two-point lead.

The outcome of their final game could still determine Erigaisi's fate in the semi-finals. After his first game win against Vaishali, Erigaisi stated to the official broadcaster that he was focused on controlling his destiny in the second game, knowing that his tiebreak score was lower than Vachier-Lagrave.