Keymer leads Chennai Grandmasters despite draw with Vidit

Vincent Keymer stayed atop the Chennai Grandmasters table with a draw against Vidit. Arjun Erigaisi followed closely, while Abhimanyu Puranik extended his lead in the Challengers section with another win

Hyderabad: German GM Vincent Keymer maintained his grip on the top of the Quantbox Chennai Grandmasters Chess championship table despite being held to his second consecutive draw, this time by GM Vidit Gujrathi in a fifth round game on Monday.

The result kept Keymer a point clear of nearest rival Arjun Erigaisi, who was also held to a draw by compatriot Pranav V.

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Erigaisi and Keymer will play each other in a clash between the table toppers on day 6, with the latter starting with whites.

In the Masters section, Jorden van Foreest scored the only decisive result of the day, defeating American GM Ray Robson to go level on points with the latter at 2.0 apiece. Nihal Sarin drew with Awonder Liang, while Anish Giri split the point with Murali Karthikeyan in a balanced contest.

The Challengers section saw a remarkable sweep for the black pieces on the top boards, with leader GM Abhimanyu Puranik defeating GM Harika Dronavalli to extend his lead to a commanding full point. IM Harshavardhan GB scored a win with black by overcoming GM Vaishali Rameshbabu, while GM Leon Luke Mendonca held GM Pranesh M to a draw to remain in joint second. GM Iniyan Pa also split the points with GM Diptayan Ghosh.

Important results: 5th round: Masters: Anish Giri (0.5) drew with Murali Karthikeyan (0.5); Vidit Gujrathi (0.5) drew with Vincent Keymer (0.5); Arjun Erigaisi (0.5) drew with V. Pranav (0.5); Liang Awonder (0.5) drew with Nihal Sarin (0.5); Jorden va Foreest (1) bt Ray Robson (0).

Standings: 1. Vincent Keymer 4 pts, 2. Arjun Erigaisi 3, 3-6: Anish Giri, Vidit Gujrathi, Murali Karthikeyan, Awonder Liang 2.5 each. 7-10: Nihal Sarin, V. Pranav, Ray Robson, Jorden Van Foreest 2 each

Challengers: Vaishali Rameshbabu (0) lost to G.B. Harshavardhan (1); Dronavalli Harika (0) lost to Abhimany Puranik (1); M. Pranesh (0.5) drew with Leon Luke Mendonca (0.5); Aryan Chopra (0.5) drew with B. Adhiban (0.5); Diptayan Ghosh (0.5) drew with Pa Ionian (0.5).

Standings: 1. Abhimanyu Puranik – 4.5 pts, 2-4: M. Pranesh, Diptayan Ghosh, Leon Luke Mendonca – 3.5 each, 5. Ionian Pa 3, 6. Adhiban Baskaran 2.5, 7-8: Aryan Chopra, G.B. Harshavardhan 1.5, 9. Vaishali Rameshbabu 1, 10. Dronavalli Harika 0.5.