Indian GM Arjun Erigaisi was forced to settle for a quick draw against Hans Moke Niemann of the United States in the ninth round of the Tata Steel Masters chess tournament here.

Erigaisi played the white side of an English opening wherein his attempts to complicate matters as per his preference did not materialise once again in the tournament. The opening fizzled out with black giving up the right to castle in favour of quick development and Arjun realised very soon that it could be dangerous to hope for something out of nothing. Predictably, the two shook hands after 22 moves.