# Praggnanandhaa and Erigaisi draw twice at Total Chess Pilot in Budapest
_Indian grandmasters begin the fast classical campaign with two draws each on day two of the pilot tour._

- Publisher: Apex Sports News (https://apexsportsnews.in)
- Canonical URL: https://apexsportsnews.in/news/praggnanandhaa-and-erigaisi-draw-twice-at-total-chess-pilot-in-budapest
- Author: Rohit, Sports writer (https://apexsportsnews.in/author/rohit)
- Published: 2026-11-12T07:36:19.972Z
- Section: Other Sports > Chess
- Topics: Arjun Erigaisi, R Vaishali, R Praggnanandhaa, FIDE, Total Chess World Championship Tour Pilot
## Summary

R Praggnanandhaa and Arjun Erigaisi each secured two draws at the Total Chess World Championship Tour Pilot in Budapest. Vaishali lost once and drew once, leaving her last in Group D.

## Key takeaways

- Praggnanandhaa drew both games against Vincent Keymer in Group B.
- Erigaisi drew both games against Hans Niemann in Group D.
- Vaishali lost to Maxime Vachier-Lagrave before drawing the return game.
- The 11-day pilot concludes on November 20 with a $650,000 prize purse.
- Erigaisi is tied for second with Niemann, Wesley So and Bibisara Assaubayeva.

## Article

Indian Grandmasters R Praggnanandhaa and Arjun Erigaisi made a solid start at the Total Chess World Championship Tour Pilot in Budapest, securing two draws each in their fast classical campaigns on day two. The 11-day tournament runs until November 20 and offers a total prize purse of $650,000, approximately Rs six crore.

## Day two results

Praggnanandhaa was held twice by Germany's Vincent Keymer in Group B, while Erigaisi played out two draws against American Hans Niemann in Group D on Wednesday. R Vaishali, the third Indian in the fray, endured a difficult start, losing her opening game to French Grandmaster Maxime Vachier-Lagrave due to a late error before settling for a draw in the return encounter.

## Standings

With one point from two games, 25-year-old Vaishali was placed last in Group D, which was led by Vachier-Lagrave. Erigaisi was among four players tied for second place with Niemann, Wesley So and Bibisara Assaubayeva. In Group B, Fabiano Caruana and Liem Le shared the lead with four points each, while Praggnanandhaa and Keymer were tied for second.

## Other group leaders

Alireza Firouzja and Jan-Krzysztof Duda are the joint leader in Group A with four points each, while Ian Nepomniachtchi took the sole lead in Group C with an identical tally.

## What happens next

The Fast Classic group stage continues on Thursday, with two more games per player as the contest for places in the knockout brackets gathers pace.

## Background

The Total Chess World Championship Tour aims to crown the best players across three formats. The overall winner will be crowned the inaugural FIDE World Combined Champion. Vaishali will challenge Ju Wenjun for the Women's World Championship title next year.

## Day one context

Magnus Carlsen won the blitz section on Tuesday but settled for two draws against Dutch Grandmaster Anish Giri on day two. The two finished tied for third place in Group C with two points each.

### Group standings after day two

| Group | Leaders | Points |
| --- | --- | --- |
| A | Firouzja and Duda | 4 |
| B | Caruana and Le | 4 |
| C | Nepomniachtchi | 4 |
| D | Vachier-Lagrave | 4 |

### Related on Apex Sports News

- [Total Chess World Championship Tour: Erigaisi and Vaishali in Group D, Praggnanandhaa faces Caruana](https://apexsportsnews.in/news/total-chess-world-championship-tour-erigaisi-and-vaishali-in-group-d)
- [Nepomniachtchi and Vachier-Lagrave lead Total Chess World Championship](https://apexsportsnews.in/news/nepomniachtchi-and-vachier-lagrave-lead-total-chess-world-championship)
- [Vaishali stuns So and Niemann as Carlsen wins Total Chess Blitz opener](https://apexsportsnews.in/news/vaishali-stuns-so-and-niemann-as-carlsen-wins-total-chess-blitz-opener)

### Sources

- [rediff.com](https://www.rediff.com/sports/report/praggnanandhaa-and-erigaisi-begin-total-chess-pilot-with-draws/20261112.htm)
- [etvbharat.com](https://www.etvbharat.com/en/sports/total-chess-world-championship-tour-pilot-day-1-mixed-luck-for-indian-siblings-firouzja-caruana-among-leaders-enn26111200590)
- [indianexpress.com](https://indianexpress.com/article/sports/chess/vaishali-rameshbabu-interview-total-chess-training-world-cships-10958145/)
- [Photo: TheBoburshokh, CC0 (Wikimedia Commons)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Arjun_Erigaisi_Uzchess_cup_3_masters_(cropped).jpg)
---
Source: Apex Sports News, https://apexsportsnews.in/news/praggnanandhaa-and-erigaisi-draw-twice-at-total-chess-pilot-in-budapest. Please cite and link the original article when quoting.