Vincent Keymer breaks into world top 10 and edges closer to Chennai Grand Masters title
Keymer, who helped Gukesh become the world champion last year as part of the Indian teen's team, has played some pragmatic chess in Chennai. After defeating three players who were rated below the 2700 mark in the first three games (Nihal Sarin, Pranav V and Karthikeyan Murali), Keymer played out draws against the strongest men in the event, Anish Giri, Vidit Gujrathi and Arjun. Then, finding himself taking on Awonder in the seventh round, he struck again.
It was a result that Awonder saw coming. A day before he sat across the table to take on tournament leader Keymer, the American grandmaster with one of the cheeriest dispositions in the sport, had a grim take on his chances the next day against the German GM. Having breached the 2700 rating threshold for the first time in his career, Awonder said he was suddenly feeling a sharp stab of pressure to keep his rating stable at that mark.
That pressure, he felt, could hurt him and cost him the game against tournament leader Keymer, he prophesied.
Awonder's prediction came true on Wednesday. Awonder had told Chessbase after the previous round how he was riding the wave of his unpredictability in Chennai: because he usually plays in open tournaments, his openings are slightly different — 'weaker' was the term he used — than what his opponents had been expecting at Chennai. But with six rounds behind them, the element of surprise was gone.
Keymer took a healthy edge in the game from the 19th move itself, a blunder by his opponent. Soon, by the 29th move, Keymer was up a rook in return for two less pawns, a sizable material advantage besides the edge on the board. He converted that advantage into victory without breaking into sweat.
For Awonder, it was only his second defeat of the tournament.
For Keymer, who has already won a Freestyle Chess event earlier in the year, even a simple draw on Thursday will be enough.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
25 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Sinner shrugs off rain to dispatch Mannarino in Cincinnati
Jannik Sinner ignored a mid-match rain interruption lasting nearly three hours as he booked his quarter-final spot at the ATP-WTA Cincinnati Open with a 6-4, 7-6 victory over Adrian Mannarino. Sinner shrugs off rain to dispatch Mannarino in Cincinnati The world number one, playing his first tournament since lifting the trophy at Wimbledon, notched his 24th consecutive hardcourt match win to enter his fifth quarter-final of the season. The win required patience, with the Italian who turns 24 on Saturday passing some of the afternoon weather pause by playing cards with his team. Sinner and Mannarino returned to action with Sinner leading 6-4, 1-2. But the Frenchman's tricky game took a toll as Sinner was broken while trying to serve out a straight-set win. The second set instead went to a tiebreak, with the Italian firing his 11th and 12th aces to clinch victory. "He's a very difficult opponent, different from the other payers," Sinner said. "He can read the opponent well. "I tried to serve well today and tried to read his serve. I changed position to try and make him uncomfortable. "It was a struggle to close it out, but I'm happy to be in the quarter-finals." Sinner, the reigning Cincinnati champion, seemed to be shrugging off pressure with the US Open starting on August 24. "Every time I reach the quarter-finals it's good for me. I'm aiming to raise my level. But if not, then I'm happy to have played three matches before the Open begins." Earlier former champion Alexander Zverev polished off a weather-hit third-round victory, winning the final four points of a 6-4, 6-4 win over Brandon Nakashima.. The entire one-game exercise, with 2021 Cincy winner Zverev leading 6-4, 5-4 when play resumed, took less than two minutes, with the third seed set for a later fourth-round encounter against Toronto finalist Karen Khachanov. Fifth seed Ben Shelton, last week's Toronto winner, reached the fourth round with a 7-6 , 6-3, victory over Roberto Bautista Agut in a match rescheduled from Tuesday. Women's third seed Iga Swiatek and men's seventh seed Holger Rune both booked quarter-final berths before afternoon showers struck. Wimbledon champion Swiatek beat Sorana Cirstea 6-4, 6-3, overcoming 33 unforced errors in a 95-minute victory. "I wanted to be more solid than in my last match," Swiatek said. "I'm happy with the level of my focus and the consistency. "It was a good match for sure. Not easy conditions as well, super humid, so I'm happy that I didn't let this affect me." Rune advanced as 2024 finalist Frances Tiafoe retired with lower back pain with Denmark's Rune up 6-4, 3-1. The match was a re-run of a quarter-final here a year ago, won by the American who went on to fall to Sinner in the final. Tiafoe received treatment on his back but it didn't seem to help as Rune gained control. The American walked dejectedly off court, carrying only a pair of shoes while an official carted away his massive tennis bag. Rune, bothered this season by his own injury worries, secured his 100th career hard-court win and his first defeat of a top 20 opponent since he beat Carlos Alcaraz in the Barcelona final in April. "I had a little slow start but I came back quickly and increased my intensity a lot," Rune said. "I was moving the ball around well, in the middle of the first set I started to play well. In another match interrupted on Tuesday, Magda Linette reached the fourth round at Cincinnati for the first time with a 7-6 , 3-6, 6-3 upset of fourth-seeded American Jessica Pegula. The 40th-ranked Pole had never won a set from the American, who was runner-up to Aryna Sabalenka in Cincy last year. str/bb This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
The Hindu
an hour ago
- The Hindu
Chennai Grand Masters 2025, Round 7: Keymer beats Liang to move closer to title; Erigaisi held by Giri
Germany's Vincent Keymer vanquished American GM Awonder Liang in the seventh round here on Wednesday to put himself in touching distance of the Chennai Grandmasters 2025 title. Keymer's win, with black pieces, coupled with joint-second-placed Arjun Erigaisi's draw against the Netherlands' Anish Giri, meant the German GM holds a 1.5-point lead going into the final two rounds of the tournament. There were two more black wins on Wednesday in the Masters section – Indian GM Karthikeyan outwitted Gujrathi in a tense encounter to jump to joint second, while Nihal Sarin secured his second win of the tournament after taking down the USA's Ray Robson. Keymer will take on Dutch GM Jorden van Foreest in the penultimate round. Erigaisi will be up against compatriot Vidit Gujrathi, while Karthikeyan squares up against Sarin. The 20-year-old Keymer will seal the title win if he equals or betters Erigaisi and Karthikeyan's results on Thursday. Meanwhile, van Foreest missed a chance to claim his third consecutive win, squandering a winning endgame against India's V. Pranav, before the tie petered out into a draw. The Erigaisi-Giri clash saw the Dutch GM extend his streak of draws to seven after a quickfire game which failed to touch the two-hour mark. Erigaisi, who has been struggling with a persistent sore throat, played largely within himself and accepted the draw, through a threefold repetition, after entering a rook endgame with equal pawns. 'I don't think it's a secret because he [Erigaisi] coughs a little bit. So, he has a throat issue. Hopefully, it's not a big deal. But I can imagine that you can't perform at your best when you have such an issue,' said Giri after the game. In the most significant game of the main draw on Wednesday, Keymer eschewed safety for aggression as he meticulously worked his way into a winning position. Keymer's desire for a decisive result was on full display through his decision to open up his kingside and launch an attack through 18.f5. ALSO READ | Women chess players must compete in open tournaments to improve, says Tania Sachdev 'We got a rather asymmetrical position at the opening, which was probably slightly better [for me]. I thought when I got f5, my position should be fine and equal. And then, his allowing me to play f4 felt like a big mistake to me. After that, I felt that this was a game I should win,' said Keymer. Liang, suffocated simultaneously by his own pawn structure and Keymer's precisely aligned attacking battery, tried to divert attention to the black's queenside with a rook-queen initiative. But Keymer held fort in defence as he nudged the game balance further into his favour, before Liang resigned after his 38th move. This was Keymer's fourth win of the tournament as he extended his unbeaten run and swelled his points tally to an incredible 5.5. With the result, the German also entered the top 10 in world rankings, in live rating, for the first time in his career. In the Challengers section, M Pranesh and Leon Luke Mendonca claimed wins on Wednesday to enter the penultimate day of the tournament with a joint lead at 5.5 points. Results: Arjun Erigaisi (IND)1/2-1/2 Anish Giri (NED); Awonder Liang (USA) 0-1 Vincent Keymer (GER); Vidit Gujrathi (IND) 0-1 Karthikeyan Murali (IND); Jorden van Foreest (NED) 1/2-1/2 V Pranav (IND); Nihal Sarin (IND) 1-0 Ray Robson (USA).
India Today
2 hours ago
- India Today
Chennai Grand Masters: Karthikeyan beats Vidit, Keymer closes in on title
Grandmaster M Karthikeyan carved out a hard-fought victory over compatriot Vidit Gujrathi in the seventh round of the Chennai Grand Masters on Wednesday, keeping his strong finish hopes alive while German GM Vincent Keymer tightened his grip on the title with the black pieces, Karthikeyan overcame Gujrathi in a gritty, tactical battle that saw both players navigate complex middlegame positions before the Indian secured the full point. Keymer, meanwhile, produced a clinical performance against American GM Awonder Liang, converting his advantage with precision to extend his lead at the top to 1.5 closest challenger, Arjun Erigaisi, was held to a draw by Dutch GM Anish Giri. The result dented Erigaisi's hopes of catching the leader, with only two rounds remaining. Elsewhere in the Masters section, GM Nihal Sarin defeated GM Ray Robson after creating sustained pressure, while GM Jorden van Foreest and GM V Pranav battled to a balanced draw. With the tournament entering its final stages, Erigaisi now faces a must-win clash against Gujrathi in the penultimate round and will also need favourable results from other boards to remain in contention. Liang, in a similar position, will meet Giri next. Keymer could clinch his first Chennai Grand Masters crown on Day 8 if he beats Van Foreest with the white SECTION REMAINS TIGHTIn the Challengers section, GM Leon Luke Mendonca stayed in joint lead after defeating GM Diptayan Ghosh in a tense encounter. Matching him at the top was M Pranesh, who overcame GM R Vaishali in a sharp tactical battle. GM Abhimanyu Puranik, meanwhile, was held to a draw by GM Aryan Chopra, leaving him half a point behind the notable results included IM Harshavardhan GB's win over GM Harika Dronavalli, while GM Pa Iniyan split the point with GM Adhiban Baskaran in an evenly fought just two rounds left, the title races in both sections remain intense — but in the Masters, Keymer's commanding lead makes him the clear favourite to lift the Standings after Round 7Vincent Keymer - 4.5 pointsArjun Erigaisi - 4 pointsKartikeyan Murali - 4 pointsAnish Giri - 3.5 pointsLiang Awonder - 3.5 pointsJorden van Foreest - 3.5 pointsVidit Gujrathi - 3 pointsNihal Sarin - 3 pointsPranav V - 2.5 pointsRay Robson - 2.5 pointsChallengers Standings after Round 7Pranesh M - 5.5 pointsLeon Mendonca - 5.5 pointsAbhimanyu Puranik - 5 pointsAdhiban Baskaran - 4 pointsPaneerselvam Iniyan - 4 pointsDiptayan Ghosh - 3.5 pointsHarshavardhan GB - 3 pointsAryan Chopra - 2 pointsHarika Dronavalli - 1.5 pointsVaishali R - 1 point- Ends
