Chennai Grand Masters 2025: Germany No. 1 Vincent Keymer draws against Arjun Erigaisi, maintains unbeaten streak after Round 6
Indian Grandmaster Arjun Erigaisi and tournament leader Vincent Keymer played to a draw in Round 6 of the Chennai Grand Masters 2025. The German GM maintained his one-point advantage in the Masters standings, with Arjun remaining close behind.
American GM Awonder Liang, aged 22, defeated 18-year-old GM Pranav V in a battle between young talents. Liang's victory brought him level on points with Arjun, intensifying the competition for the title.
The Chennai Grand Masters 2025, now in its third year, is India's premier classical chess tournament. The event features two 10-player round-robin sections - Masters and Challengers - spanning nine rounds over ten days.
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The prize pool totals Rs 1 Crore, with the Masters winner receiving ₹25 Lakhs and the Challengers winner earning Rs 7 Lakhs plus a spot in the 2026 Masters. The Masters champion also gains 24.5 FIDE Circuit points for 2026 Candidates qualification.
Keymer, who remains undefeated, began with the Queen's Pawn, moving into a Queen's Gambit position, while Arjun chose the Slav Defense.
Despite Keymer's early advantage, Arjun managed to equalise the position. In other Masters matches, Vidit Gujrathi and Anish Giri drew their game, Jorden van Foreest defeated Nihal Sarin with Black, and Karthikeyan Murali drew against Ray Robson.
The Challengers section saw M Pranesh end Abhimanyu Puranik's unbeaten streak. This victory created a three-way tie at the top, with Leon Luke Mendonca joining them after defeating Aryan Chopra. GM Harika Dronavalli won against GM Vaishali Rameshbabu in their encounter.
Adhiban Baskaran improved his position in the standings with a victory over Diptayan Ghosh. Pa Iniyan and Harshavardhan GB agreed to a draw in their match.
Masters – Round 6:
Arjun Erigaisi (½) drew with Vincent Keymer (½)
Awonder Liang (1) bt Pranav V (0)
Vidit Gujrathi (½) drew with Anish Giri (½)
Jorden van Foreest (1) bt Nihal Sarin (0)
Karthikeyan Murali (½) drew with Ray Robson (½)
Masters – Standings after Round 6:
Vincent Keymer – 4.5
Arjun Erigaisi – 3.5
Awonder Liang – 3.5
Karthikeyan Murali – 3.0
Anish Giri – 3.0
Vidit Gujrathi – 3.0
Jorden van Foreest – 3.0
Ray Robson – 2.5
Nihal Sarin – 2.0
Pranav V – 2.0
Challengers – Round 6:
M Pranesh (1) bt Abhimanyu Puranik (0)
Leon Luke Mendonca (1) bt Aryan Chopra (0)
Harika Dronavalli (1) bt Vaishali Rameshbabu (0)
Adhiban Baskaran (1) bt Diptayan Ghosh (0)
Pa Iniyan (½) drew with Harshavardhan GB (½)
Challengers – Standings after Round 6:
M Pranesh – 4.5
Abhimanyu Puranik – 4.5
Leon Luke Mendonca – 4.5
Adhiban Baskaran – 3.5
Diptayan Ghosh – 3.5
Pa Iniyan – 3.5
Harshavardhan GB – 2.0
Aryan Chopra – 1.5
Harika Dronavalli – 1.5
Vaishali Rameshbabu – 1.0.
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