India’s number one chess player Arjun Erigaisi has asked for help from USA embassy regarding his visa for the World Rapid and Blitz Championships.
The tournament is set to take place in New York City from December 26-31.
“Last week, I submitted my passport to you for visa stamping and it still has not been returned. I request you to please expedite the process and return my passport as soon as possible as I need it for my travel to New York for World Rapid & Blitz Championship,” Arjun wrote on social media platform X.
He tagged the US Embassy besides the Ministry of External Affairs India, Minister of External Affairs Dr S Jaishankar, Sports Ministry and sports minister Mansukh Mandviya.
The tournament is crucial for Arjun as he is in a two-way battle with USA’s Fabiano Caruana to secure a spot at the next edition of the Candidates, which is an eight-player event to figure out a challenger to Gukesh at the next World Chess Championship.
The FIDE Circuit 2024 is one of the paths to qualify for the Candidates Tournament in 2026. The Circuit offers one spot to the player who ends at the top of the charts in 2024 by earning points in specified tournaments.
Currently Caruana leads with 130.42 points while Arjun Erigaisi is second with 124.40 points. Nodirbek Abdusattorov has 108.49 points.
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