Chennai Grand Masters: Vincent Keymer secures draw to seal Masters title
"Winning the tournament and breaking into the Top 10 at the same time is fantastic for me and truly special. However, the tournament will continue tomorrow, so I prefer to remain focused and keep the tension for the last round."In the other Masters games, all encounters ended in draws, leaving the battle for second and third place wide open. Arjun Erigaisi and Karthikeyan Murali, both in striking distance of the podium, will face each other on the final day. Several other players remain in contention for a top-three finish, with even a half-point swing on the last day potentially impacting the final standings and rating gains.Challengers Section — Tight Race at the TopIn the Challengers section, GM Pranesh moved into sole lead after defeating GM Harika Dronavalli, taking a half-point advantage into the final round.Abhimanyu Puranik stayed firmly in the hunt with a victory over GM Diptayan Ghosh, while Leon Luke Mendonca's draw against GM Panneerselvam Iniyan kept him just half a point off the lead.GM Adhiban Baskaran overcame IM Harshavardhan GB, and GM Aryan Chopra defeated GM Vaishali Rameshbabu to complete the day's action. The final round now promises a tense finish as the race for the Challengers crown goes down to the wire.- Ends
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News18
an hour ago
- News18
DFB Pokal: Erik Ten Hag's Bayer Leverkusen Rout Grossaspach 4-0, Bielefeld Beat Bremen
Patrik Schick, Arthur, Christian Kofane and Alex Grimaldo all netted in the side's rampant win over a hapless Grossaspach, who had Volkan Celikwas sent off for a second yellow. Bayer Leverkusen head coach Erik ten Hag made a winning start to his tenure at the German outfit with a 4-0 win in the first round of their DFB Pokal encounter against fourth-tier team Sonnenhof Grossaspach on Friday. Patrik Schick, Arthur, Christian Kofane and Alex Grimaldo all netted in the side's rampant win over a hapless Grossaspach, who also had to endure the sight of their captain Volkan Celikwas being sent off in the 66th with two bookings in as many minutes. Leverkusen had to defend for extended periods after Schick's opener in the 32nd minute. The Czech forward also cleared the ball off the line. Arthur scored the second goal shortly after Celikwas was sent off, and other goals followed Mert Tasdelen's late sending off for a bad challenge on Leverkusen defender Axel Tape. Ten Hag, the former Manchester United manager, took over from the Real Madrid-bound Xabi Alonso and has had little time to work with a squad undergoing significant changes. Key players like Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong, and Granit Xhaka have left, while Kofane, Tape, Ernest Poku, Ibrahim Maza, Jarell Quansah, and goalkeeper Mark Flekken all made their debuts on Friday. The match was interrupted in the first half by a summer storm with hailstones, leading referee Michael Bacher to take the teams off the field. Play resumed after a 40-minute break. American forward Isaiah Young scored in the final minutes to propel last season's beaten finalist Arminia Bielefeld into the second round with a 1-0 win over Werder Bremen. Leonardo Bittencourt from the Bundesliga side was sent off in the 54th minute, and Bielefeld pushed hard for the winner. Young entered in the 79th minute and thrilled the home fans by scoring in the third minute of stoppage time. Bielefeld, then playing in the third division, knocked out several Bundesliga clubs, including Bremen, on its way to the final in May, where Stuttgart proved too strong. Stuttgart's title defense will start later this month as it plays Bayern Munich in the German Supercup on Saturday. Also on Friday, Union Berlin routed fourth-tier side Gütersloh 5-0 away, and second-division Magdeburg secured a 3-1 win at third-division Saarbrücken. view comments First Published: August 16, 2025, 10:56 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
an hour ago
- First Post
Levon Aronian wins Saint Louis Rapid and Blitz 2025; World Champion Gukesh finishes joint sixth
Levon Aronian won the Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz 2025 with 24.5 points, sealing the Grand Chess Tour title with two rounds to spare. Fabiano Caruana and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave finished second and third, while World Champion Gukesh Dommaraju shared sixth place with Liem Le. Levon Aronian claimed victory after 18 rounds of blitz and three days of rapid chess. FIDE/GCT The fourth event of the 2025 Grand Chess Tour, the Saint Louis Rapid and Blitz 2025, ended on Friday, August 15, with Levon Aronian lifting the title. The Armenian-American grandmaster played solid and attacking chess throughout and finished on 24.5 points, a full three points ahead of the rest of the field. Aronian sealed the title with two rounds to spare after drawing French GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave. Aronian won against Sam Shankland in the final round, which earned him the top prize of $40,000 (Rs 35 lakh). STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD It's official! Levon clinches the #STLRapidAndBlitz title with 2 rounds to spare after drawing MVL!#grandchesstour — Grand Chess Tour (@GrandChessTour) August 15, 2025 American GM Fabiano Caruana, who drew with Leinier Dominguez in the final round, came second on 21.5 points, taking home $30,000 (Rs 26 lakh). Maxime Vachier-Lagrave finished in third place with 21 points and a prize money of $25,000 (Rs 21 lakh). Nodirbek Abdusattorov of Uzbekistan finished fourth on 20.5 points, while Wesley So ended fifth with 19 points. World Champion Gukesh Dommaraju shared sixth place with Vietnam's Liem Le, both scoring 18 points. After losing to Caruana in Round 15, Gukesh drew his next three games. With this victory, Aronian also earned 13 Grand Chess Tour points, putting himself firmly in the race for the overall GCT title. Standings after Blitz Round 18 # Player Title Rating Points 1 Levon Aronian GM 2732 24.5 2 Fabiano Caruana GM 2750 21.5 3 Maxime Vachier-Lagrave GM 2725 21 4 Nodirbek Abdusattorov GM 2721 20.5 5 Wesley So GM 2704 19 6 Liem Le GM 2655 18 7 Gukesh Dommaraju GM 2687 18 8 Leinier Dominguez GM 2705 15.5 9 Grigoriy Oparin GM 2634 13 10 Sam Shankland GM 2621 9
News18
2 hours ago
- News18
'Made Munich My Home': Kingsley Coman Bid Adieu To Bayern Munich After Al Nassr Switch
Last Updated: Coman made 339 appearances for the Bavarian giants, scoring 72 goals and setting up 71, since he joined the Bundesliga heavyweights in the year 2015. French international Kingsley Coman bid adieu to Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich following his move to Saudi Pro League side Al Nassr. Coman joined the Bavarian giants in the year 2015 on loan, before sealing a permanent move to the German heavyweights in 2017. Coman went on to make 339 appearances with the club, scoring 72 goals and setting up 71. Kingsley Coman bids farewell to FC Bayern 🔴⚪ — Bayern & Germany (@iMiaSanMia) August 15, 2025 'This club will always be a part of me and I wish Bayern nothing but continued success in the seasons to come. From the bottom of my heart, thank you," Coman said. 'It's hard to believe that almost 10 years have passed since I made Munich my home aged 19," the 29-year-old added. Coman netted the lon stime in the final of the UEFA Champions Legaue in 2020 to help Bayern edge out PSG to the elite European crown and Bayern sporting director Max Eberl noted the same as a watershed moment in the history of the club. 'King earned an eternal place in the club's history with his goal in the 2020 Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain," Eberl said. 'He will always be part of FC Bayern, and we wish him all the best for his new challenge," he added. German media reported that Bayern received a fee of around 30 million euros. He will join Cristiano Ronaldo, Sadio Mane and Joao Felix in the Al Nassr forward line. view comments Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
