Chennai, Aug 13 (NationPress) Grandmaster Karthikeyan Murali shone brightly in Round 7 of the 2025 Chennai Grandmasters Chess Tournament with an impressive victory over GM Vidit Gujrathi, triumphing with the black pieces after a tough contest. On the other hand, German GM Vincent Keymer solidified his position in the title chase by delivering a decisive win against American GM Awonder Liang, placing him 1.5 points ahead of his nearest rivals, including Liang.

In its third year, the Chennai Grandmasters 2025 stands as India’s premier classical chess competition, featuring two elite 10-player round-robin groups—Masters and Challengers—spanning nine rounds over nine days. With a remarkable ₹1 Crore prize pool, the winner of the Masters section will receive ₹25 lakh, the top Challenger will earn ₹7 lakh, and a prized spot in the 2026 Masters awaits. Additionally, the event contributes FIDE Circuit points, with the Masters champion securing 24.5 points toward qualifying for the 2026 Candidates tournament.

Keymer’s closest contender, Arjun Erigaisi, faced a setback as he was held to a draw by Dutch star Anish Giri, complicating his chances for the title with only two rounds remaining. In other Masters matches, GM Nihal Sarin claimed victory over GM Ray Robson, while GM Jorden van Foreest and GM V Pranav battled to a draw.

With two rounds to go, Arjun is set to compete against compatriot Vidit in a critical clash, where only a win—along with favorable results from other matches—can sustain his title bid. Liang, in a parallel scenario, is up against Giri. Conversely, Keymer has the opportunity to clinch his first Quantbox Chennai Grand Masters 2025 title if he secures victory against Van Foreest on Day 8.

In the Challengers, GM Leon Luke Mendonca maintained a share of the lead after defeating GM Diptayan Ghosh, while M Pranesh also stayed in contention with a win over GM Vaishali Rameshbabu. GM Abhimanyu Puranik was held to a draw by GM Aryan Chopra, leaving him 0.5 points behind the joint leaders. Other match results included IM Harshavardhan GB winning against GM Harika Dronavalli, and GM Pa Iniyan sharing the points with GM Adhiban Baskaran.

Results:

Masters – round 7:

Vidit Gujrathi (0) lost to Karthikeyan Murali (1)

Arjun Erigaisi (½) drew with Anish Giri (½)

Awonder Liang (0) lost to Vincent Keymer (1)

Jordan van Foreest (½) drew with V. Pranav (½)

Ray Robson (0) lost to Nihal Sarin (1)

Masters – standings after Round 7:

1. Vincent Keymer – 5.5

=2 Arjun Erigaisi – 4.0

=2 Karthikeyan Murali – 4.0

=4 Anish Giri – 3.5

=4 Awonder Liang – 3.5

=4 Jorden van Foreest – 3.5

=7 Vidit Gujrathi – 3.0

=7 Nihal Sarin – 3.0

=9 Pranav V – 2.5

=9 Ray Robson – 2.5

Challengers – round 7:

Harika Dronavalli (0) lost to Harshavardhan GB (1)

M Pranesh (1) bt Vaishali Rameshbabu (0)

Aryan Chopra (½) drew with Abhimanyu Puranik (½)

Diptayan Ghosh (0) lost to Leon Luke Mendonca (1)

Pa Iniyan (½) drew with Adhiban Baskaran (½)

Challengers – standings after round 7:

=1 M Pranesh – 5.5

=1 Leon Luke Mendonca – 5.5

3. Abhimanyu Puranik – 5.0

=4 Adhiban Baskaran – 4.0

=4 Pa Iniyan – 4.0

6. Diptayan Ghosh – 3.5

7. Harshavardhan GB – 3.0

8. Aryan Chopra – 2.0

9. Harika Dronavalli – 1.5

10. Vaishali Rameshbabu – 1.0