Daniel Naroditsky wins his first Lichess Titled Arena
It is some kind of Miracle that before Saturday's event Daniel Naroditsky had never won a Titled Arena. The tournament turns 3 years old in December and throughout those 3 years Naroditsky has finished in the prize places as consistently as anyone without ever taking first.
All that changed yesterday when Naroditsky finally broke through. He led for most of the event with the lead fluctuating slightly, but never being in too much danger. Second place was taken by 17-year-old GM Arjun Erigaisi, continuing the long proud tradition of teenagers in Titled Arenas. Erigaisi was a GM at 14, the sort of thing that used to flabbergast the chess world. Nowadays, this incredible achievement doesn't quite get him onto the list of the 30 youngest GMs ever. It’s only a matter of time before the title is awarded in utero. Here is a quick trivia question for the peanut gallery: Name 3 players who got their GM title at an age younger than Erigaisi who played in this tournament. Their usernames are helpfully the same as their real names. Post answers in the comments! The first correct answer will get free access to all Lichess premium features. (...as will every correct answer. Incorrect answers, non-answers, and people who didn't read the article will also receive the prize)
Third place was taken by the recently de-teenagered Andrew Tang, who was not in the top 10 with 3 minutes remaining. He slingshot past a bevy of players by winning his last 2 berserked games in record time. Fourth and Fifth were GM Nihal Sarin and Arka50 who wishes to remain anonymous.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YmWBke4CKZc
The next Titled Arena is on December 5th. Follow all the standard Lichess channels of communication for details, including the brand new Lichess Instagram account.