An unlikely continuation in the Sicilian Four Knights variation, a rarity. Though there are chances of the game transposing into a Taimanov variation, the White's light-squared bishop is unfortunately placed.
White has a bit of a space advantage in his favor, but it is not easy to find a clear-cut way to take advantage of that. But we can be confident that Nepo going on an offensive on the kingside here.
Nepo could have gone on and castled on the queenside here, instead of hesitating with this bishop move. The point is that, the white bishop doesn't have much of a scope sitting on a passive square here.
Arjun has taken over the initiative here!
White's biggest question is where he is going to castle his king now. He has arguments against both sides, which would be a big practical dilemma on the board.
With a structural weakness on the board for White, Black's positional advantage is unquestionable here. Now it all depends on Nepo's practical defensive skills versus Arjun's ability to mount an offensive on the White queenside.
Arjun brings out his rook rapidly, thus asking a question if Nepo would still keep his king in the center. Adding to the pressure is White's doubled pawns on the queenside.
A gutsy move by Nepo, daring Arjun to attack the White queen even from a weakened pawn screen.
Erigaisi has won a pawn now, and pressure mounts on Nepo to find a counterattack. White's only trump can be Black's undeveloped bishop. But it is not clear how White can take advantage of that.
Erigaisi's advantage seems to grow steadily here, as White has weaknesses all over the board. To start with, he can begin by advancing the queenside pawns.
An unfortunate necessity, as White's light-squared bishop has the danger of becoming really irrelevant soon! When you know that such a move is forced on the board, you realize that White is really suffering on the board.
Arjun commits a mistake, allowing his pawn center to crumble, thus allowing Nepo to mount a counterattack.
Nepo seizes his chances, exchanging the queens and leading the game into an equal endgame with rooks and bishops for each side.
Though missing out on his advantage, Erigaisi still gives a stiff fight, trying for an advantage. in a simple-looking endgame.
Fixing the pawns on the correct squares in the kingside, Erigaisi has taken a simple but noticeable advantage in the endgame.
Nepo loses the crucial pawn on the kingside with this rook move. He had to be careful, maintaining the rook on the second rank.
Erigaisi has a commanding position now, clearly winning in an endgame where he would have a dangerous passer. White has a problem with his bishop too, occupying a passive square on the board.
Gaining a small advantage in the late middlegame, he seemed to miss out on most of his advantage with erroneous play in the endgame. However, he still persisted with consistent pressure in the endgame, finally making Nepo crack in an equal looking Rook and Bishop endgame.
Arjun is cool as a cucumber, with heartbeat rates as low as 80 during the game, as witnessed on many occasions. In contrast, Nepo has gone as high as 140 in his heartbeat rate during this very event.
But their playing style is acknowledgedly similar—both love sharp, tactical fights, being acknowledged hands for that. It is tempting to say that Arjun might have an edge when it comes to surprising the opponent with unconventional, surprising opening lines on the board, but it is highly unlikely that Nepo will fall for it: he will definitely sidestep it.
So, what else could be the edge today? The Age, for sure! Arjun is all of 21 years old, whereas Nepo is running 35. ESports is very much a young man's game, and Arjun belongs to the generation that learns how to hold the mouse just at three months of age :-)
So, my pick for today would be Arjun Erigaisi! Let's see how it goes!