Keymer stays perfect with third straight win at Chennai Grand Masters

Vincent Keymer maintained his unbeaten run at the Chennai Grand Masters 2025, defeating Karthikeyan Murali. Arjun Erigaisi, Vidit Gujrathi, and Awonder Liang also won, while standings in the Challengers section remain tight

Hyderabad: Germany’s Vincent Keymer continued his flawless form at the Quantbox Chennai Grand Masters 2025, posting his third straight victory by overcoming Karthikeyan Murali in Round 3 in Chennai on Saturday.

With this win, Keymer remains the only player in the Masters section with a perfect score, emerging as the early leader in India’s most prestigious classical chess tournament.

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The day also saw a strong performance from Arjun Erigaisi, who defeated American GM Ray Robson to stay firmly in the hunt for the top spot. Vidit Gujrathi bounced back with an important win over Nihal Sarin, while Awonder Liang scored his first victory of the tournament, stunning Dutch GM Jorden van Foreest. V. Pranav, one of the youngest in the field, impressed once again by holding top seed Anish Giri to a draw.

In the Challengers section, Abhimanyu Puranik maintained his steady rise with a win over Harshavardhan GB, while M. Pranesh defeated Pa Iniyan to keep the leaderboard tight.

Leon Luke Mendonca overcame Vaishali Rameshbabu, and Adhiban Baskaran split the point with Harika Dronavalli. Aryan Chopra and Diptayan Ghosh also played out a draw in a balanced encounter.

Challengers – 3rd round:

Abhimanyu Puranik (1) bt G. B. Harshavardhan (0); M. Pranesh (1) bt Pa Iniyan (0); Adhiban Baskaran (0.5) drew Harika Dronavalli (0.5); Leon Luke Mendonca (1) bt Vaishali Rameshbabu (0); Aryan Chopra (0.5) drew Diptayan Ghosh (0.5).

Standings – After 3rd round:
Masters: 1. Vincent Keymer 3 pts, 2. Arjun Erigaisi 2.5, 3. Ray Robson 1.5, 4. Awonder Liang 1.5, 5. Anish Giri 1.5, 6. Vidit Gujrathi 1.5, 7. Jorden van Foreest 1, 8. V. Pranav 1, 9. Karthikeyan Murali 1, 10. Nihal Sarin 0.5.
Challengers:

1. M. Pranesh 2.5, 2. Abhimanyu Puranik 2.5, 3. Diptayan Ghosh 2, 4. Leon Luke Mendonca 2, 5. Adhiban Baskaran 1.5, 6. Pa Iniyan 1.5, 7. Vaishali Rameshbabu 1, 8. Aryan Chopra 1, 9. Harika Dronavalli 0.5, 10. G. B. Harshavardhan 0.5.