CHENNAI: Vincent Keymer completed a landmark triumph at the Quantbox Chennai Grand Masters, securing the title with a round to spare and becoming the first sole champion in the tournament’s history. The 20-year-old German, playing white, drew his match against Dutchman Jordan van Foreest, while results elsewhere confirmed his tournament victory.
Keymer’s dominance over a star-studded field also catapulted him into the world’s Top 10 on the live rating list, underlining his arrival among the game’s elite.
Speaking on his victory, Keymer said: “I am very happy with the tournament. Winning my games in the first rounds made me self-confident and helped me to be focused, concentrated, and calm. Entering the top 10 in live rating is a milestone I have wanted to reach for a long time, and I am very glad that the hard work finally paid off.”
“Winning the tournament and breaking into the Top 10 at the same time is fantastic for me and truly special. However, the tournament will continue tomorrow. That is why I prefer to remain focused and keep the tension for the last round. Winning the tournament is a fantastic achievement, but I also really want to stay in the Top 10, meaning either drawing or winning tomorrow’s game,” he added.
Elsewhere in the Masters, all five games ended in draws, a rare full split that keeps the race for second and third wide open heading into the final round. In the Challengers, GM Pranesh M tightened his grip on the leaderboard with a crucial win over GM Harika Dronavalli, taking a half-point lead (6.5) into the final day. Right behind him, GM Abhimanyu Puranik stayed in contention by defeating GM Diptayan Ghosh, while GM Leon Luke Mendonca’s draw with GM Pa Iniyan kept him level with Abhimanyu and just half a point adrift of the top. GM Adhiban Baskaran’s victory over IM Harshavardhan GB and GM Aryan Chopra’s win against GM Vaishali Rameshbabu rounded off the day’s results.
Masters – Round 8 Results:
● Karthikeyan Murali (½) drew Nihal Sarin (½)
● V Pranav (½) drew Ray Robson (½)
● Vincent Keymer (½) drew Jordan van Foreest (½)
● Anish Giri (½) drew Awonder Liang (½)
● Vidit Gujrathi (½) drew Arjun Erigaisi (½)
Masters – Standings After Round 8:
1 Vincent Keymer – 6.0 (W)
=2 Arjun Erigaisi – 4.5
=2 Karthikeyan Murali – 4.5
=4 Anish Giri – 4.0
=4 Jorden van Foreest – 4.0
=4 Awonder Liang – 4.0
=7 Vidit Gujrathi – 3.5
=7 Nihal Sarin – 3.5
=9 Pranav V – 3.0
=9 Ray Robson – 3.0