Indian Grandmaster Arjun Erigaisi held the top-seeded German Grandmaster Vincent Keymer to a draw in the sixth round of the Chennai Grand Masters Chess Tournament on Tuesday. Following this match, Keymer remains at the top of the Masters category standings, with Erigaisi right behind him.
Sports News: In the sixth round of the Chennai Grand Masters Chess Tournament 2025, currently underway in Chennai, Indian Grandmaster Arjun Erigaisi held the existing leader and German Grandmaster Vincent Keymer to a draw in a tough match. Despite this result, Keymer retains the top spot in the Masters category standings with a one-point lead, while Erigaisi is in second place.
Keymer's Aggressive Start, Erigaisi's Strong Defense
Keymer, who had been undefeated in the tournament until now, started the game against Erigaisi in an aggressive style and tried to dominate from the opening moves. However, Erigaisi played excellent defense, not allowing him to gain an advantage. The match was full of strategic turns and complex positions, keeping the audience engaged until the end.
Other Masters Category Matches
- The match between Vidit Gujrathi and Anish Giri was balanced and ended in a draw.
- Jorden van Foreest defeated Nihal Sarin with the black pieces in a brilliant game, considered a major upset of the day.
- The match between Karthikeyan Murali and Ray Robson ended in a draw.
- American 22-year-old GM Awonder Liang held India's 18-year-old emerging player Pranav V to a draw after a tough fight.
Tough Competition in the Challengers Category
The excitement is also at its peak in the Challengers category. Here, M Pranesh defeated the hitherto undefeated Abhimanyu Puranik, bringing a new twist to the title race. With this victory, Pranesh jointly reached the top spot with Abhimanyu. Leon Luke Mendonca defeated Aryan Chopra, including himself in the race for the top spot. Now the competition for the title has become exciting between three players.
In the Women's Grandmaster category, GM Harika Dronavalli defeated her compatriot Vaishali Rameshbabu. Meanwhile, Adhiban Baskaran improved his ranking by defeating Diptayan Ghosh. The match between PA Iniyan and Harshavardhan G B ended in a draw. This is the third edition of the Chennai Grand Masters, in which 10 players each in the Masters and Challengers categories are playing in a round-robin format. The total prize money for the tournament is ₹1 crore.
Masters Category Winner: ₹25 lakh and 24.5 FIDE points for the 2026 Candidates Qualification. Challengers Category Winner: ₹7 lakh and a place in the 2026 Masters. This tournament not only offers a large prize pool to the players but also provides FIDE rating and points for the Candidates Tournament 2026. This further increases its importance in the international chess calendar.
