Arjun Erigaisi Lone Indian at FIDE Freestyle Chess Championship in Germany

• Arjun Erigaisi will be India's sole representative at the FIDE Freestyle Chess Championship in Germany next month.
• Top Indian players D Gukesh and R Praggnanandhaa failed to qualify for the newly introduced tournament.
• Qualification was based on rankings from the 2023 Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour; Erigaisi finished fifth.
• Praggnanandhaa ranked 15th and Gukesh 19th on the tour, missing automatic qualification.
• Nodirbek Abdusattorov secured the final spot by winning a play-in tournament, defeating India's Pranav Venkatesh.

Why It Matters: Arjun Erigaisi is India's only participant in the FIDE Freestyle Chess Championship after top players failed to qualify.