Chennai Grand Masters: Firouzja seals title after final-round draw with Arjun Erigaisi
Chennai, July 22
French Grandmaster Alireza Firouzja emerged champion of the fourth edition of the Chennai Grand Masters after holding India's Arjun Erigaisi to a draw in the seventh and final round at The Westin Chennai Velachery Hotel on Wednesday.
Needing only a draw to secure the title, Firouzja comfortably navigated the final-round encounter with the Indian Grandmaster, signing peace after 41 moves to finish on 4.5 points from seven rounds. The 22-year-old remained unbeaten throughout the tournament, registering two victories and five draws.
Firouzja entered the concluding round with a half-point lead over Erigaisi and Uzbekistan's Nodirbek Abdusattorov. The title race effectively tilted in the Frenchman's favour after Abdusattorov, who needed a victory with the black pieces to stay in contention, suffered a 37-move defeat to Russia's Dmitry Andreikin.
With his closest challenger out of the running, Firouzja required only a draw against Erigaisi and safely steered the game into a rook-and-pawn endgame before sharing the point to clinch the title.
The elite eight-player round-robin tournament carried a prize purse of ₹75 lakh along with valuable FIDE Circuit points. Firouzja's triumph earned him the winner's cheque of ₹25 lakh (approximately USD 26,500).
Andreikin, who also completed the tournament unbeaten, finished joint second on four points alongside Erigaisi. Abdusattorov shared fourth place with Indian Grandmasters Nihal Sarin and M. Pranesh, with all three ending on 3.5 points.
It was another disappointing outing for reigning world champion D. Gukesh, whose difficult run continued as he finished at the bottom of the standings with two points after losing three of his seven games. He signed off with a draw against American Grandmaster Hans Niemann in the final round.
In the remaining seventh-round games, Nihal Sarin and M. Pranesh played out a draw, while Andreikin's victory over Abdusattorov proved decisive in shaping the final standings.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Proud of our Indian GMs! Arjun, Nihal, Pranesh all holding their own against world-class players. And Gukesh will bounce back - every champion has rough patches. The future of Indian chess is incredibly bright. 👏
Disappointing to see Gukesh at the bottom, but let's not forget he's the reigning world champion. This is just a minor setback. The depth in Indian chess is incredible - we had 4 players in the top 8. Good days ahead! 👍
Firouzja played brilliantly, no doubt. But I wish our Indian players had been more aggressive in the final round. Sometimes playing for draws doesn't help when you're chasing the title. Still, great tournament overall! 😊
The prize money is quite good for a tournament in India - ₹75 lakh total! ₹25 lakh for the winner is respectable. Hope we see more such events in the country to nurture young talent. Kudos to the organizers! 🏆
Love watching these tournaments! Our Indian GMs are so young and talented. Gukesh will learn from this and come back stronger. Arjun, Nihal, and Pranesh are showing amazing consistency. Proud moment for Indian chess! 🇮🇳♟️
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