Latest news with #Challengers
NDTV
4 hours ago
- Sport
- NDTV
Chennai Grand Masters Chess: Vincent Keymer, Arjun Erigaisi Play Out Draw
Indian ace Arjun Erigaisi held tournament leader Vincent Keymer to a hard-fought draw in the marquee sixth round clash at the Chennai Grand Masters chess tournament in Chennai on Tuesday. The result allowed the German GM to maintain his one-point lead at the top of the Masters standings after six rounds, with Arjun remaining in hot pursuit. In another key result, 22-year-old GM Awonder Liang of the United States defeated 18-year-old Pranav V in a much-anticipated battle, moving level on points with Arjun and adding fresh intrigue to the chase for the title. Now in its third year, the Chennai Grand Masters is India's strongest classical chess event. It features two elite 10-player round-robin sections -- Masters and Challengers -- across nine rounds in 10 days. With a Rs 1 crore prize pool, the Masters winner earns Rs 25 lakh, the Challengers winner Rs 7 lakh and a 2026 Masters berth. The event also offers FIDE Circuit points, with the Masters champion securing 24.5 toward 2026 Candidates qualification. Unbeaten so far, Keymer opened with the Queen's Pawn, quickly transposing into a Queen's Gambit by move two, while Arjun responded with the Slav Defense. The German seized the early momentum, but Arjun clawed his way back, ensuring the pace-setter didn't turn into a runaway leader. Elsewhere in the Masters, Vidit Gujrathi and Anish Giri settled for a draw, while Jorden van Foreest bounced back with a win as Black against Nihal Sarin. Karthikeyan Murali, too, held Ray Robson to a draw. In the Challengers, M Pranesh halted leader Abhimanyu Puranik's unbeaten run, turning what had looked like a one-man march into a tight three-way fight for the title. The victory brought Pranesh level with Abhimanyu at the top, where they were joined by Leon Luke Mendonca after his win over Aryan Chopra. GM Harika Dronavalli prevailed against compatriot Vaishali Rameshbabu in the all-women Grandmaster clash, while Adhiban Baskaran outplayed Diptayan Ghosh to climb up the standings. Pa Iniyan and Harshavardhan GB split the point after a draw.
India Today
12 hours ago
- Sport
- India Today
Vidit Gujrathi holds Keymer to draw in Chennai Grandmasters Round 5
Germany's Vincent Keymer maintained his grip on the top of the Chennai Grandmasters Chess points table despite being held to his second consecutive draw, this time by India's Vidit Gujrathi in Round 5 here on result kept Keymer a point clear of nearest rival Arjun Erigaisi of India, who was also held to a draw by compatriot Pranav Erigaisi and Keymer will play each other in a clash between the table toppers on day 6, with the latter starting with the Masters section, Jorden van Foreest scored the only decisive result of the day, defeating American GM Ray Robson to go level on points with the latter at 2.0 GM Nihal Sarin drew with Awonder Liang, while Anish Giri split the point with Murali Karthikeyan in a Challengers section saw a remarkable sweep for the black pieces on the top boards, with leader GM Abhimanyu Puranik defeating GM Harika Dronavalli to extend his lead to a commanding full Harshavardhan GB scored a win with black over GM Vaishali Rameshbabu, while GM Leon Luke Mendonca held GM Pranesh M to a draw to remain in joint second. GM Iniyan Pa also split the point with GM Diptayan in its third year, the Chennai Grandmasters Chess features two elite 10-player round-robin sections -- Masters and Challengers -- across nine rounds in 10 a Rs 1 crore prize pool, the Masters winner earns Rs 25 lakh, the Challengers winner will pocket Rs 7 lakh and a coveted 2026 Masters berth. The event also offers FIDE circuit points, with the Masters champion securing 24.5 toward 2026 Candidates Round 5 Results: Anish Giri () drew Murali Karthikeyan (); Vidit Gujrathi () drew Vincent Keymer (); Arjun Erigaisi () drew Pranav V (); Liang Awonder () drew Nihal Sarin; Jorden van Foreest (1) def. Ray Robson (0)..Challengers: Round 5 Results: Vaishali Rameshbabu (0) lost to Harshavardhan GB (1); Harika Dronavalli (0) lost to Abhimanyu Puranik (1); M Pranesh () drew Leon Luke Mendonca (); Aryan Chopra () drew Adhiban B (); Diptayan Ghosh () drew Pa Iniyan (.Masters Standings after Day 5:1. Vincent Keymer – 4.2. Arjun Erigaisi –3 .3-6. Anish Giri, Vidit Gujrathi, Murali Karthikeyan, Awonder Liang – 2..7-10. Nihal Sarin, Pranav V, Ray Robson, Jorden van Foreest – .Challengers Standings after Day 5.1. Abhimanyu Puranik – 4..2-4. Pranesh M, Diptayan Ghosh, Leon Luke Mendonca – Iniyan Pa – .6. Adhiban Baskaran – 2..7-8. Aryan Chopra, Harshavardhan GB – 1..9. Vaishali Rameshbabu – .10. Harika Dronavalli – 0.5.- Ends
Time of India
a day ago
- Sport
- Time of India
Chennai Grand Masters 2025: Vincent Keymer remains tournament leader; Arjun Erigaisi one point behind
Arjun Erigaisi in Chennai Grand Masters (Special Arrangements) German GM Vincent Keymer maintained his tournament lead at the Chennai Grand Masters 2025 after drawing his Round 5 match against GM Vidit Gujrathi on Monday. Arjun Erigaisi stayed one point behind Keymer after also drawing his game against fellow Indian Pranav V. The tournament's excitement builds as Keymer and Erigaisi are set to face each other on day 6, with Keymer playing with white pieces. The Chennai Grand Masters 2025, now in its third year, stands as India's premier classical chess tournament. The event features two 10-player round-robin sections - Masters and Challengers - with nine rounds played over ten days. The tournament offers a prize pool of Rs 1 Crore, with the Masters winner receiving Rs 25 Lakhs and the Challengers champion earning Rs 7 Lakhs plus entry to the 2026 Masters section. The Masters winner also gains 24.5 FIDE Circuit points toward 2026 Candidates qualification. In other Masters matches, Jorden van Foreest secured the day's only victory by defeating American GM Ray Robson, bringing both players to 2.0 points. Nihal Sarin drew with Awonder Liang, while Anish Giri and Murali Karthikeyan also shared points. The Challengers section saw black pieces dominate the top boards. Leader GM Abhimanyu Puranik defeated GM Harika Dronavalli to extend his lead by a full point. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Your Finger Shape Says a Lot About Your Personality, Read Now Tips and Tricks Undo IM Harshavardhan GB claimed victory with black pieces against GM Vaishali Rameshbabu. GM Leon Luke Mendonca maintained his joint second position after drawing with GM Pranesh M. GM Iniyan Pa and GM Diptayan Ghosh also played to a draw in their Challengers match. Masters – Round 5 Results: Anish Giri (½) drew Murali Karthikeyan (½) Vidit Gujrathi (½) drew Vincent Keymer (½) Arjun Erigaisi (½) drew Pranav V (½) Liang Awonder (½) drew Nihal Sarin (½) Jorden van Foreest (1) def. Ray Robson (0) Challengers – Round 5 Results: Vaishali Rameshbabu (0) lost to Harshavardhan GB (1) Harika Dronavalli (0) lost to Abhimanyu Puranik (1) M Pranesh (½) drew Leon Luke Mendonca (½) Aryan Chopra (½) drew Adhiban B (½) Diptayan Ghosh (½) drew Pa Iniyan (½) Masters Standings after Day 5: 1. Vincent Keymer – 4 2. Arjun Erigaisi – 3 3-6. Anish Giri, Vidit Gujrathi, Murali Karthikeyan, Awonder Liang – 2.5 7-10. Nihal Sarin, Pranav V, Ray Robson, Jorden van Foreest – 2 Challengers Standings after Day 5: 1. Abhimanyu Puranik – 4.5 2-4. Pranesh M, Diptayan Ghosh, Leon Luke Mendonca – 3.5 5. Iniyan Pa – 3 6. Adhiban Baskaran – 2.5 7-8. Aryan Chopra, Harshavardhan GB – 1.5 9. Vaishali Rameshbabu – 1 10. Harika Dronavalli – 0.5 Catch Rani Rampal's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 4. Watch Here!
News18
a day ago
- Sport
- News18
Chennai Grandmasters Day 5: Keymer, Erigaisi Held In Masters; Vaishali And Harika Still In Search Of First Win
Arjun Erigaisi took his tally to three points, one behind leader Vincent Keymer, with a draw against Pranav V as the table-topper was held to a draw by Vidit Gujrathi. Vincent Keymer took his points tally to round four points on Monday, Day 5 of the ongoing edition of the Chennai Grandmasters in Chennai on Monday as he split the spoils with Indian Vidit Gujrathi who held the German leader to a draw. Arjun Erigaisi also played out a draw with compatriot V Pranav on the day, to add half a point to his kitty, as the 21-year-old poster boy of the event stands second in the table with three points to his name. Anish Giri's streak of draws continued on the day as Karthikeyan Murali held his own against the Dutchman, while Nihal Sarin followed up his win over top-seeded Erigaisi a day earlier, with a tie against American Liang Awonder. Jorden Van Foreest picked up his first win at the event in the Capital City of Tamil Nadu as he edged out American Robson in the longest game of the day. Keymer tops the table, followed by Erigaisi, a point behind the German leader. Giri, Gujrathi, Karthikeyan, and Awonder have accumulated two and a half points. Sarin, Pranav and Robson have two points apiece. Challengers leader Abhimanyu Puranik continued his run of victories at the midway point of the event at the cost of struggling Harika Dronavalli, who was handed her fourth defeat in five games as the season campaigner remains in search of her first win yet with just four games left to go. Harshavardhan GB dished out a surprise on the day with his win over R Vaishali, while Leon Luke Medoca posted a draw with M Pranesh. Adhiban B and Arya Chopra shared the spoils, while Iniyan Pa and Diptayan Ghosh also had to return to their accommodations with an increment of half-a-point to their respective tallies with another draw in the Challengers section. Puranik stands at the top of the 10-member Challengers standings, followed by Mendoca, Ghosh and Pranesh, all on three and a half points, with Iniyan hot on their heels with three points. Masters, Day 5 Results: Challengers, Day 5 Results: First Published: News sports Chennai Grandmasters Day 5: Keymer, Erigaisi Held In Masters; Vaishali And Harika Still In Search Of First Win 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.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Sport
- Time of India
Chennai Grand Masters 2025: Nihal Sarin shocks Arjun Erigaisi, Vincent Keymer stays unbeaten
Nihal Sarin secured his first victory at the Chennai Grand Masters 2025, defeating fellow Indian player Arjun Erigaisi in Round 4 on Sunday. German GM Vincent Keymer maintained his tournament lead after drawing with Dutch player Anish Giri, remaining undefeated through four games in India's strongest classical chess event. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The Chennai Grand Masters 2025, now in its third year, features two elite 10-player round-robin sections - Masters and Challengers. The tournament spans nine rounds over ten days with a prize pool of Rs 1 Crore, offering Rs 25 Lakhs for the Masters winner and Rs 7 Lakhs for the Challengers winner. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW! The tournament also provides FIDE Circuit points, with the Masters champion earning 24.5 points toward 2026 Candidates qualification. The Challengers winner secures a spot in the 2026 Masters section. Nihal's victory over Arjun came after an intense strategic battle beginning with the Reti Opening. Chess legend Vishwanathan Anand provided live commentary as the game progressed at a measured pace, with Arjun capturing the first piece on move 15. The middlegame gradually opened up, allowing Nihal to press his advantage and secure victory on move 70. In other matches, GM Murali Karthikeyan defeated Jorden van Foreest to improve his standing. GM Vidit Gujrathi and GM Pranav V drew their game, while American players GM Awonder Liang and GM Ray Robson also split points. Keymer's draw with Giri maintained his sole lead in the tournament. In the Challengers section, GM Abhimanyu Puranik took the lead after defeating WGM Vaishali Rameshbabu with white pieces. Previous joint leader M Pranesh drew against GM Adhiban Baskaran. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Poll Did you enjoy the live commentary by Vishwanathan Anand during the match? Absolutely! It was okay Not really GM Diptayan Ghosh won against Harshavardhan GB, while GM Leon Luke Mendonca defeated GM Harika Dronavalli. Both winners joined Pranesh with 3 points. GM P Iniyan defeated GM Aryan Chopra to reach 2.5 points. After four rounds, Vincent Keymer leads the Masters standings with 3.5 points, followed by Arjun Erigaisi with 2.5 points. Anish Giri, Ray Robson, Awonder Liang, Vidit Gujrathi, and Karthikeyan Murali are tied with 2 points each. Nihal Sarin and V Pranav share 1.5 points, while Jorden van Foreest holds 1 point in the Masters section. In the Challengers standings, Abhimanyu Puranik leads with 3.5 points. M Pranesh, Diptayan Ghosh, and Leon Luke Mendonca follow with 3 points each. Pa Iniyan has 2.5 points, and Adhiban Baskaran holds 2 points. Vaishali Rameshbabu and Aryan Chopra have 1 point each, while Harika Dronavalli and Harshavardhan GB are at the bottom with 0.5 points each.
