Keymer Holds the Lead in Thrilling Chennai Grand Masters 2025

German GM Vincent Keymer stays on top in the Chennai Grand Masters 2025 despite a draw with Vidit Gujrathi. With a Rs 1 crore prize at stake, Keymer faces second-placed Arjun Erigaisi next. Abhimanyu Puranik leads in the Challengers section after a decisive win over Harika Dronavalli.

In a gripping showdown at the Chennai Grand Masters 2025, German Grandmaster Vincent Keymer retained his lead atop the table despite a second consecutive draw, this time against GM Vidit Gujrathi in Round 5, as stated in the tournament's release. The current standings place Keymer a clear point ahead of rival Arjun Erigaisi, who was also held to a draw by Pranav V. The two leaders are set for a high-stakes meeting in Round 6, with Keymer playing white.

The Quantbox Chennai Grand Masters 2025, organized by MGD1, marks its third year as India's premier classical chess event. It hosts two elite 10-player round-robin categories—Masters and Challengers—spanning nine rounds over ten days. With a prize pool of Rs 1 crore, the Masters winner claims Rs 25 Lakhs and a position in the 2026 Masters, while the Challengers winner takes home Rs 7 Lakhs. The event also awards FIDE Circuit points, crucial for 2026 Candidates qualification, with the Masters champion earning 24.5 points.

In the Masters division, Jorden van Foreest was the day's standout performer, defeating American GM Ray Robson to join him at 2.0 points each. Other matches saw Nihal Sarin draw against Awonder Liang and Anish Giri share the spoils with Murali Karthikeyan. Meanwhile, the Challengers saw a dominating performance for those playing black, with GM Abhimanyu Puranik defeating Harika Dronavalli to secure a significant lead.

(With inputs from agencies.)