Nihal Sarin claimed his first win at the Chennai Grand Masters 2025 on Sunday, defeating compatriot Arjun Erigaisi in Round 4 to end the latter’s unbeaten run.
German grandmaster Vincent Keymer maintained his one-point lead at the top of the Masters standings after drawing with Dutch GM Anish Giri, extending his own undefeated streak to four games.
The Masters event, organised by MGD1, is in its third year and is billed as India’s strongest classical chess tournament. The 10-player round-robin, held alongside a Challengers section, offers a total prize pool of 10 million rupees (\$120,000), with 2.5 million rupees for the Masters winner. The champion also earns 24.5 FIDE Circuit points toward qualification for the 2026 Candidates Tournament.
Sarin’s victory, played from the Reti Opening, came after a 70-move strategic battle. GM Murali Karthikeyan also impressed with a win over Jorden van Foreest, while Vidit Gujrathi drew with Pranav V and the all-American clash between Awonder Liang and Ray Robson ended level.
In the Challengers, GM Abhimanyu Puranik moved into sole lead with a win over WGM Vaishali Rameshbabu. Former co-leader M Pranesh drew with GM Adhiban Baskaran, while GM Diptayan Ghosh beat Harshavardhan GB and GM Leon Luke Mendonca defeated GM Harika Dronavalli to join Pranesh on three points. GM P Iniyan overcame GM Aryan Chopra to reach 2.5 points.