Pranesh stuns Gukesh again, Nihal takes down Erigaisi at Chennai Grand Masters

ByTech Word News

Pranesh hands Gukesh another defeat (X-Chess Base India) GM M Pranesh continued his impressive run at the Chennai Grand Masters by defeating reigning World Champion D Gukesh for the second consecutive time, while GM Nihal Sarin outclassed Arjun Erigaisi in a crucial Round 6 clash on Tuesday. The results reversed, with French Grandmaster Alireza Firouzja taking the sole lead with four points after drawing his match against GM Nodirbko Abdusattorov. Erigaisi’s defeat left him tied with Abdusattorov by 3.5 points heading into the final round. Hosted by MGD1, the elite eight-player tournament features some of the world’s leading Grandmasters and carries a prize pool of ₹75,000 along with valuable FIDE Circuit points. The day’s proceedings began with Narendra Kumar, Managing Trustee of the Chola Foundation, and Grandmaster Aarthia Ramaswamy taking the ceremonial first step. Much attention was paid to Gukesh, who claimed his first victory in the tournament. However, the world champion faltered with a series of miscalculations, allowing Pranesh to take the initiative. The youngster capitalized on the mistake to wrap up victory in 39 moves to claim his first win in the competition while handing Gukesh his second straight defeat. On the adjacent board, Erigaisi went head-to-head with Nihal Sarin, needing only a draw to stay level with Firouzja at the top of the table. For most of the match, this outcome looked likely before Nihal made a stunning rook sacrifice that completely changed the course of the game. The tactical strike proved decisive, forcing Erigaisi to retire after 60 moves. Elsewhere, Hans Niemann and Dmitry Andreikin shared the points after their game ended in a draw, while Firouzja maintained his lead with a draw with Abdusattorov. Results of the 6th round:

  • Hans Niemann (2.5) drew with Dmitry Andreikin (3)
  • Nodirbek Abdusattorov (3.5) drew with Alireza Firouzja (4)
  • Nihal Sarin (3) beat Arjun Erigaisi (3.5)
  • M Pranesh (3) beat D Gukesh (1.5)