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Key Points

Arjun Erigaisi and Vincent Keymer made strong starts at the Chennai Grandmasters 2025 with decisive wins. The Masters section saw balanced results with three draws, including an all-Chennai clash between Pranav V and Karthikeyan Murali. In the Challengers, Diptayan Ghosh, Leon Luke Mendonca, and M. Pranesh secured early victories. The tournament, India's strongest classical chess event, runs till August 15 with a ₹1 Crore prize pool.

Key Points: Arjun Erigaisi and Vincent Keymer shine as Chennai Grandmasters begins

  • Arjun Erigaisi dominates Awonder Liang in opening round
  • Vincent Keymer outplays Nihal Sarin with flawless technique
  • Chennai GMs Pranav V and Karthikeyan Murali battle to draw
  • Diptayan Ghosh leads Challengers with opening win over Harika Dronavalli
2 min read

Chennai Grandmasters: Arjun Erigaisi, Vincent Keymer off to strong start as third edition gets underway

World No. 5 Arjun Erigaisi and German GM Vincent Keymer start strong at Chennai Grandmasters 2025, India's premier classical chess tournament.

"Erigaisi delivered a commanding performance against American GM Awonder Liang – Tournament Report"

Chennai, Aug 7

World No. 5 Arjun Erigaisi and German Grandmaster Vincent Keymer won their respective games to get off to a winning start at the Chennai Grandmasters 2025, as the prestigious classical chess tournament began at the Hyatt Regency, here on Thursday.

Erigaisi delivered a commanding performance against American GM Awonder Liang, while Keymer showed flawless technique to defeat India’s Nihal Sarin. The two victories stood out on an otherwise balanced day in the Masters section, with all other games ending in draws.

Among the most anticipated contests was the all-Chennai face-off between local Grandmasters Pranav V and Karthikeyan Murali, which ended in a well-fought draw. The top-board clash between former World No. 6 Anish Giri and American GM Ray Robson also ended level, as did the duel between India’s Vidit Gujrathi and Dutch GM Jorden van Foreest.

In the Challengers section, top-seeded Indian GMs also made their presence felt. Diptayan Ghosh, Leon Luke Mendonca, and M. Pranesh registered opening round wins, setting the early pace in a tightly packed field. WGM Vaishali Rameshbabu, GM Abhimanyu Puranik, and GM Iniyan Pa were held to draws, while experienced names Harika Dronavalli, Aryan Chopra, and Harshavardhan GB suffered opening round defeats.

In its third edition, the Chennai Grandmasters has cemented its place as India’s strongest classical-format chess tournament. The ten-day, nine-round event features 20 elite players across two sections, Masters and Challengers, and offers a prize pool of ₹1 Crore along with FIDE Circuit points crucial for 2026 Candidates qualification.

The tournament runs till August 15, with all matches starting at 3:00 PM IST (final round at 1:00 PM IST). Matches are broadcast live on YouTube and other major chess platforms.

Results:

Masters – Round 1:

Arjun Erigaisi (1) bt Awonder Liang (0)

Vincent Keymer (1) bt Nihal Sarin (0)

Anish Giri (½) drew with Ray Robson (½)

Vidit Gujrathi (½) drew with Jorden van Foreest (½)

Pranav V (½) drew with Karthikeyan Murali (½)

Challengers – Round 1:

Diptayan Ghosh (1) bt Harika Dronavalli (0)

Leon Luke Mendonca (1) bt Harshavardhan GB (0)

M Pranesh (1) bt Aryan Chopra (0)

Adhiban Baskaran (½) drew with Abhimanyu Puranik (½)

Vaishali Rameshbabu (½) drew with Iniyan Pa (½)

- IANS

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Reader Comments

S
Sarah B
Interesting to see Keymer's flawless technique against Nihal. The German GM seems to be adapting well to Indian conditions. Though I was hoping for an Indian win there, credit where it's due - that was impressive chess.
A
Aditya G
The all-Chennai draw between Pranav and Karthikeyan must have been electric! Local fans would have loved seeing their homegrown talents battle it out. More such tournaments needed across India to nurture chess talent �
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Priya S
Disappointed with Harika's loss in Challengers section. She's such an experienced player - hope she bounces back strong. The tournament format is excellent though, giving both established and upcoming players good exposure.
M
Michael C
The ₹1 Crore prize pool shows how seriously India is taking chess development. Great to see classical format getting this kind of support when most focus is on rapid/blitz these days. Kudos to the organizers!
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Nisha Z
While the tournament is fantastic, wish there was more media coverage beyond chess circles. Our players deserve mainstream attention like cricket gets! Anyways, will be following all matches on YouTube. All the best to all participants!

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