Chennai Grand Masters: Arjun held, Vidit suffers shock defeat

CHENNAI: Top seeded Indian Arjun Erigaisi was held to a draw by Dutch GM Jorden van Foreest, while Vidit Gujrathi suffered a shock defeat to American Ray Robson in the second round of Chennai Grand Masters Chess tournament here on Friday.

Germany’s Vincent Keymer emerged as the sole leader in the Masters section at the end of day two, with a commanding win over India’s V Pranav.

Meanwhile, American GM Robson delivered the biggest upset of the day, defeating Gujrathi in a sharp tactical battle.

Anish Giri and Nihal Sarin shared the spoils in a well-balanced clash, and the showdown between Karthikeyan Murali and Awonder Liang also ended in a draw.

In the Challengers section, Indian GM Iniyan Pa impressed with a clinical win over GM Harika Dronavalli, while GM Abhimanyu Puranik bounced back with a victory over Leon Luke Mendonca.

The remaining games involving Diptayan and Pranesh, Adhiban and Vaishali, and Harshavardhan and Aryan ended in close draws.

Featuring 20 elite players across two categories (Masters and Challengers), the nine-round, 10-day event offers a prize pool of Rs 1 crore and valuable FIDE Circuit points.

Masters – Round 2 Results

● Vincent Keymer (1.0) def. V Pranav (0)

● Ray Robson (1.0) def. Vidit Gujrathi (0)

● Arjun Erigaisi (½) drew Jorden van Foreest (½)

● Anish Giri (½) drew Nihal Sarin (½)

● Karthikeyan Murali (½) drew Awonder Liang (½)

Challengers – Round 2 Results:*

● Harshavardhan GB (½) drew Aryan Chopra (½)

● Diptayan Ghosh (½) drew M Pranesh (½)

● Iniyan P (1) def. Harika Dronavalli (0)

● Adhiban B (½) drew Vaishali R (½)

● Abhimanyu Puranik (1) def. Leon Luke Mendonca (0)