Chennai Grandmasters Chess: Nihal Sarin Upsets Arjun Erigaisi, Undefeated Vincent Keymer Extends Lead On Day 4
A tightly contested middlegame gradually opened up, allowing Nihal to press his advantage and convert on move 70 for his first victory of the 2025 edition.
Elsewhere, GM Murali Karthikeyan also impressed, defeating Jorden van Foreest to climb up the standings.
In other Masters results, GM Vidit Gujrathi and GM Pranav V split the points after a balanced encounter, while the all-American clash between GM Awonder Liang and GM Ray Robson also ended with half-a-point apiece.
Keymer's draw with Giri kept him in the sole lead, while Nihal's victory over Arjun injected fresh intrigue into the title race.
In the Challengers section, GM Abhimanyu Puranik emerged as the sole leader after defeating WGM Vaishali Rameshbabu with the white pieces, capitalising on hitherto joint leader M Pranesh's draw against GM Adhiban Baskaran.
GM Diptayan Ghosh scored a win by beating Harshavardhan GB, while GM Leon Luke Mendonca also stayed in contention with a victory over GM Harika Dronavalli -- both moving level with Pranesh on 3 points.
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Time of India
3 hours ago
- Time of India
Chennai Grand Masters: Nihal Sarin outwits Arjun Erigaisi in slow-burn duel
Nihal Sarin A fan of rapid and blitz, Indian shows his mettle in classical CHENNAI: Long known as a 'speed demon' for his exploits in rapid and blitz, Nihal Sarin decided last year to change lanes and focus on classical chess. With blue-ribbon events like the FIDE Grand Swiss and the FIDE World Cup on the horizon, he sought out Vishnu Prasanna, world champion D Gukesh's former coach. And, the results began to show when he claimed silver at the Asian Continental Chess Championship in May. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW! But at the Chennai Grand Masters, he had a difficult start: a first-round loss to Vincent Keymer, a hard-fought draw with Anish Giri, and a tough setback against Vidit Gujrathi. However, on Sunday in the fourth round, Nihal broke through and eked out his first win of the tournament against the top seed, Arjun Erigaisi in a humdinger. Poll Which player do you believe has the best chance of winning the Chennai Grand Masters? Vincent Keymer Arjun Erigaisi Anish Giri 'He has a great passion for rapid and blitz. But he feels that he has stagnated and is underrated in the classical format. So that's something that has been bothering him. We started working together in March this year. He approached me at the closing ceremony of the Global Chess League last year, but we only picked it up around five months later,' Vishnu told TOI. For someone trying to slow himself down to the pace of classical chess, the 21-year-old from Thrissur couldn't quite resist the occasional yawns and strolls during his games here. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like At 62, Laura San Giacomo Is Still Turning Heads The Noodle Box Undo 'Classical games are very long… all my games went about for almost four hours,' Nihal said with a smile. 'I was not happy with how it (the tournament) was going. But in general, I'm happy with the way I'm playing. I'm just trying to play some exciting chess. Trying to not think too much about the result. Obviously, losing hurts. It was quite hard for me after yesterday's game. I just tried my best to somehow find the motivation to keep playing. And, today Arjun defended like an absolute machine, but I think I did get quite lucky. ' Despite the defeat, Arjun (2.5 points) remains second in the standings, right behind Vincent Keymer (3.5 points) who split the point with Anish Giri. Vincent is the favourite: Anand For a brief moment, the focus shifted away from the games to Viswanathan Anand, as he walked into the venue. The five-time world champion sized up the tournament favourite: 'Vincent is obviously the favourite. Until today (Sunday), Arjun was placed just as well. But his defeat today means Vincent now leads by a whole point. While Arjun can definitely score, a point is a point,' Anand told TOI. W hen asked what advice he would give young players to stay at the top, Anand joked, referring to his own five titles: 'I think 'Mere Paas Panch Hai' (I have five) is a good starting point. I think he (Gukesh in this context) knows what to do.' He went on to add: 'In general, sport is evolving very formats, new things. The only thing I can do is, if they ask, describe how I face a certain situation, and then it's their job to convert that.' Results (Round 4): Masters: Murali Karthikeyan bt Jordan van Foreest; Ray Robson drew with Liang Awonder; Nihal Sarin bt Arjun Erigaisi; V Pranav drew with Vidit Gujrathi; Vincent Keymer drew with Anish Giri. Challengers: Diptayan Ghosh bt GB Harshvardhan; Pa Iniyan bt Aryan Chopra; B Adhiban drew with M Pranesh; Leon Mendonca bt D Harika; Abhinmanyu Puranik bt R Vaishali. Catch Rani Rampal's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 4. Watch Here!
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First Post
4 hours ago
- First Post
Nihal Sarin stuns Arjun Erigaisi with double Queen sacrifice at Chennai Grand Masters 2025: 'Arjun defended like machine'
India's Nihal Sarin stunned Arjun Erigaisi for his first win at the Quantbox Chennai Grand Masters 2025 with special game and a double Queen sacrifice. Vincent Keymer leads after round four. read more Tournament favourite Arjun Erigaisi suffered a crushing defeat against compatriot Nihal Sarin on Sunday at the Quantbox Chennai Grand Masters 2025 as Germany's Vincent Keymer took a one-point lead after the fourth round. As a result, Indian Grandmaster Erigaisi has slipped back to the World No.5 spot in the live rating, with R Praggnanandhaa reclaiming the fourth spot. Considering the little difference between their ratings, the positions are highly vulnerable to fluctuations after every result. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Keymer secured a 1-point lead despite playing out a draw against Dutch GM Anish Giri, while Vidit Gujrathi suffered the same fate against Pranav V. Karthikeyan Murali defeated Jorden Van Foreest of the Netherlands, and the all-American match between Awonder Liang and Ray Robson also finished as a draw. Nihal beats Arjun after double Queen sacrifice Playing with White pieces, Kerala's Nihal, who is known for his attacking gameplay, took 70 moves to beat Erigaisi as he secured his first win of the tournament with the legendary Viswanathan Anand on the commentary. However, he remains in the eighth spot in the 10-player standings with a score of 1.5. Erigaisi is second behind Keymer (3.5) with 2.5 points. Nihal had been failing to secure a draw or win despite having the right position in matches against Keymer and Giri, but against Erigaisi, he grabbed the opportunity in a tense endgame. Sarin, who made multiple blunders in the match, made up for it with his attacking game as he forced Erigaisi into a corner, and the latter made a blunder at the end. Erigaisi's 67…Rxc5 hen 67…Rc1 was the best move, giving the decisive opening to Nihal as he committed a second Queen sacrifice and took out the opponent's Rook with a fork. The match ended with Nihal having a knight and a passed h-pawn as Erigaisi resigned. 'A lot of ups and downs today. Arjun defended like an absolute machine. I did get quite lucky in the end. It was quite hard for me after yesterday's game. I just tried my best to somehow find the motivation to keep playing,' Nihal was quoted as saying by The Hindu. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD How Nihal Sarin defeated Arjun Erigaisi: In the Challengers section, Abhimanyu Puranik took the sole lead after beating R Vaishali, while Diptayan Ghosh defeated GB Harshavardhan. Leon Luke Mendonca and Ghosh are half a point behind Puranik.
Indian Express
5 hours ago
- Indian Express
The logic behind Premier League clubs spending nearly 2 billion in the transfer market
The summer of splurge would make the first few weeks of the waiting-to-unfold English Premier League fascinating. All the traditional top six clubs have greedily acquired new signings; a staggering 1.93 billion pounds have already been expended, two billion-roof could soon be blown over. Such dizzying sums convey an impression of wanton spending or panic buys, but on the contrary logic and need have driven most purchases. Merely collecting players or changing tactics would not work, but how the new recruits alter and bolster the tactics and ethos of the club would be as intriguing as absorbing. The loosest purse strings have been Liverpool's. The coffers are cash-awash after finishing top last season. The financial regulations watchdogs are aware of the meagre spendings in the last season. But the title winners needed renewal, forced by departures, a cruel death, an ageing maestro and a quest to assert their supremacy in the coming years. The most exciting is the arrival of Florian Wirtz, the winger from Bayer Leverkusen, for 116 million pounds. Imaginative, inventive and nippy, he could be deployed as a left-sided No.10, pulling the strings. Last year, Dominik Szoboszlai fulfilled the role, but his profile was different. He was more of an enforcer than creator, leading the press, making the runs behind the opposition and was incredibly diligent off the ball. But he was not a natural goal-scorer or a creator, as his combined goal/assist tally of 17 in 49 games suggest. Wirtz could do all these, but Slot would expect him to be in the final third more often than Szoboszlai. This would leave space in the midfield, putting more pressure on Ryan Gravenberch especially in defensive transitions. Potentially, Slot would slot Szoboszlai into the No.8 role, meaning Curtis Jones would contend warming the benches. He could be installed as No., a role familiarised by his former manager Xabi Alonso. If Liverpool signs striker Alexander Isak, he would be employed as No.10, the lead man of a highly fluid and technical midfield box. If not false nine temptation looms. Big feats are expected from the German wizard. Some believe he would have a Kevin de Bruyne like impact, a reason Manchester City too were keen on him. But Guardiola would have to make do with what he has. There is no shortage of offensive options, which is amplified by the arrival of Rayan Cherki, who fizzed as the No.10 in City's 4-2-3-1 in the lone warm-up against Palermo. As well as showing his creativity in the build-up, he dropped back to supplement the double pivot of Nico Gonzalez and Nico O'Reilly. Tijjani Reijnders' influence They have a bigger hole to fill, at least in the initial weeks. The heartbeat of Guardiola's midfield Rodri will miss the start of the season, and it might need a collective effort to fill his void. It's where the Tijjani Reijnders could wield his influence. A versatile midfielder, Guardiola has installed him on the base of the field, even though he is capable of advanced roles. In the few games thus far, he has shown his passing range, explosive speed and imposing physicality. When Rodri returns, the pair would form a formidable pair, but his profile could vary from the pairings. Then crystal-balling Guardiola's permutations are merely speculative, as he comes up with improvisations every season. His Arsenal counterpart Mikel Arteta doesn't hold cards of mystery to his heart. Arsenal's additions have been straightforward. A centre forward to offer them cutting edge, even though in the pre-season friendlies Viktor Gyokeres was poorly serviced. He would take time to adjust to the pass patterns of his teammates and their movements, but he promises the ruthlessness that could propel the Gunners to the title that keeps eluding them. Likewise, Martin Zubimendi would not only breathe style and spine to the midfield but also liberate Declan Rice into a more attacking presence. The midfield trio of Rice, Zubimendi and Mikel Merino would be enthralling to watch when in full flow. The other trio hoping to tango is Manchester United's 200 million-pound worth axis of Matheus Cunha-Benjamin Sesko-Bryan Mbuemo. Sesko would roam as the centre forward in front of the two No.10s, both near replicas in their functions, cutting in from the wings and exceptional ball carriers. Strong, fast and creative, they inject elements that United lacked last season, scrambling an all-time low of 44 goals. Sesko would offer them more aerial prowess, sharper movements and strength than Rasmus Hojlund. Hypothetically, the trifecta would tessellate imperceptibly. As could Chelsea's front-line, which could look different if they acquire Dutch winger Xavi Simmons. But even without him, they promise entertainment with Joao Pedro leading the line, Cole Palmer play-making, with Jamie Gittens and the 18-year-old Brazilian wunderkind Estêvão buzzing behind Pedro. Apart from Palmer, the forward-line has been wholesomely revamped. The squad depth is incredible, but without the experience to launch a full-throttle title challenge. There is the allure of the unknown too, which could be said about the latest Tottenham Hotspur manager. Thomas Frank is more pragmatic and less dynamic than his predecessor Ange Postecoglou. Frank would demand control and possession, apart from a flexibility in tactics and formations. 'I always wanted to play offensive football, (but) it's a combination of what is best for the players we got,' Frank told the BBC. 'We have this style, but what kind of players, because I can't pick all the best players in the world.' In the last three seasons, Spurs have lost their two players that were the club's identity. Harry Kane and Son Heung-min. Mohammed Kudus could be the talisman. He is an excellent dribbler with immense control and trickery, even though his finishing is a study in progress. Frank has in recent times revelled in low-blocks and looked to pounce on counterattacks. Until he fully rebuilds the squad he had inherited, he could resort to similar tactics and use the pacy Kudus as his trump card. The splurge, thus, does not resemble wanton spending. But that is no guarantee for success, which makes the season both bewitching and intriguing.
