Indian Grand Master Arjun Erigaisi launched the Chennai Grandmasters campaign in command and defeated the American Awonder Liang on Thursday. German Vincent Kemer also recorded a significant victory over Indian Nihal Sarin when an international tournament with a high share started.
The event, which has a price fund 1 Crore, takes place in a round robin format, which includes nine rounds of classic chess across two sections-Masteters and Challengers. The tournament will take place for 10 days, with 20 players in both segments and offers major FIDE rating points that are expected to qualify for the 2026 candidates. D Gukesh for title.
The day also represented several fixed draws. The highly anticipated clash between the two of Chennai’s domestic grandmothers, Pranav V and Karthikeyan Murali, ended up with a hard -fought heel. Dutch GM Jorden van Foreest held India see gujrathi The drawer, while Anish Giri’s important meeting against Ray Robson from the US also completed the level.
Among the standout performances was a particularly remarkable victory of Kemera over Nihal Sarin because he earned small inaccuracies to crush the entire point.
The Challengers segment recorded a promising beginning of the Indian contingent. Grandmasters Diptayan Ghosh, Leon Luke Mendonco and M pranesh scored victory in their opening matches to set the pace early in the competition. Ghosh defeated D Harik while Mendonca and Pranesh exaggerated Harshavardhan GB and Aryan Chopra.
Meanwhile r Vaisali, Abhimanyu Puranik and Iniyan PA had to settle
With several key points FIDE and shot when climbing after the offered global series, the tournament added meaning for many participating players. The performance here is heavily weighing in the race with candidates 2026, where the Indian growing chess star Gukesh awaits.
Results 1.
Masters: Arjun Erigaisi 1-0 Awonder Liang, Vincent Kemer 1-0 Nihal Sarin, Anish Giri – Ray Robson, See Gujrathi – Jorden Van Foree
Challenges: Diptayan Ghosh 1-0 D Harika, Leon Mendonca 1-0 Harshavardhan GB, M pranesh 1–0 Aryan Chopra, Adhiban Baskaran – ABHimanyu Puranik, R Vaisali – Iniyan PA
– ends
Published:
Amar Pancker
Published on:
August 7, 2025
