Chennai Grand Masters 2025: Vincent Keymer stays perfect; Dutch No. 1 Anish Giri remains winless | Cricket News
Germany’s top-ranked Vincent Keymer is on a dream run at the Chennai Grand Masters 2025, claiming his third straight victory by defeating Karthikeyan Murali in Round 3 at the Hyatt Regency. With this win, Keymer stands alone at the top of the Masters section as the only player with a perfect score, staking an early claim to the title in India’s most prestigious classical chess tournament. It was also a strong day for Arjun Erigaisi, who overcame American GM Ray Robson to stay within striking distance of the leader. Vidit Gujrathi bounced back with a much-needed win over Nihal Sarin, while Awonder Liang registered his first point of the event, upsetting Dutch GM Jorden van Foreest. Youngster V Pranav impressed again, holding top seed Anish Giri to a well-earned draw.Masters – Round 3 Results:
- Vincent Keymer (1) def. Karthikeyan Murali (0)
- Arjun Erigaisi (1) def. Ray Robson (0)
- Awonder Liang (1 ) def. Jorden van Foreest (0)
- V Pranav (½) drew Anish Giri (½)
- Vidit Gujrathi (1) def. Nihal Sarin (0)
Masters Standings after Day 3:
- 1. Vincent Keymer – 3
- 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
In the Challengers section, Abhimanyu Puranik kept his momentum going with a win against Harshavardhan GB. M Pranesh scored over Pa Iniyan to keep the race for the top tight, while Leon Luke Mendonca beat Vaishali Rameshbabu.
Poll
Who do you think will win the Chennai Grand Masters 2025?
Adhiban Baskaran and Harika Dronavalli shared the spoils, as did Aryan Chopra and Diptayan Ghosh after a balanced battle. The Chennai Grand Masters 2025, organised by MGD1, features two elite 10-player round-robin events, the Masters and the Challengers, played over nine rounds in ten days.The Challengers’ winner will take home Rs 7 lakh and secure a direct spot in the 2026 Masters.Challengers – Round 3 Results:Abhimanyu Puranik (1) def. Harshavardhan GB (0)M Pranesh (1) def. Pa Iniyan (0)Adhiban Baskaran (½) drew Harika Dronavalli (½)Leon Luke Mendonca (1) def. Vaishali Rameshbabu (0)Aryan Chopra (½) drew Diptayan Ghosh (½)Challengers – Points Table after Day 3
- 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. Harshavardhan G B – 0.5
