GM Arjun Erigaisi defeated GM Zhu Jiner in round six of the 2026 TePe Sigeman Chess Tournament to take sole possession of first place with 4.5 points. GM Magnus Carlsen and GM Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus trail by half a point ahead of the final round.
Arjun ground out a 67-move win over Zhu after choosing the Pirc Defense in a game he said he wanted to win outright. He praised Zhu's resilience, noting that she found many strong moves and is currently the best women's player. Carlsen, meanwhile, secured his second straight victory by beating GM Andy Woodward with the King's Indian Defense. He described the contest as cagey until he sacrificed a bishop on h3 and said the move felt low-risk given the long time remaining until move 40.
