Doha: Erigaisi stuns Carlsen to emerge joint leader on Day 1 in Doha. The Indian ace followed it up with a win over Uzbekistan’s Nodirbek Abdusattorov and three draws, closing the day on 10 points from 13 games.

He shares the top spot with France’s Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and American star Fabiano Caruana, while six players trail closely on 9.5 points. The defending co-champions from 2024, Carlsen and Russia’s Ian Nepomniachtchi, are just half a point back on 9/13.

The flashpoint came in severe time trouble: Erigaisi had nine seconds remaining to Carlsen’s three. As Carlsen attempted a queen move, the piece slipped from his hand and flew off the table. Grandmaster Alexander Grischuk, passing by at the moment, jumped aside as the queen skidded past. By the time Carlsen retrieved and replaced it, his clock had expired, prompting another furious table slam—an echo of his earlier outburst after losing to India’s D. Gukesh at Norway Chess this year.