Grandmaster Arjun Erigaisi on Friday became the first Indian to reach the semifinals of the prestigious Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour. Erigaisi secured a clinical 1.5-0.5 victory over Uzbekistan’s Nodirbek Abdusattorov in the quarterfinals to storm into the final four of the USD 750,000 tournament.

In a contrasting result, fellow Indian prodigy R Praggnanandhaa bowed out of the title race after a gripping seven-game thriller against USA's Fabiano Caruana. Despite leading at three different stages, Praggnanandhaa eventually lost 3-4 in what was one of the most fiercely contested matches of the round.

Erigaisi displayed complete control in his match against Abdusattorov. In the second game, playing with the white pieces, he secured a rook for a bishop early on, converting his material advantage with precision. It was a dominant performance that resembled a classical game more than a freestyle one. The first game too saw Erigaisi in the driver's seat, but a few late inaccuracies allowed the Uzbek player to escape with a draw.