NEW DELHI: The chess capital of India is as soon as once more set to host a world-class match because the Chennai Grand Masters 2025 returns for its newest version from August 6 to fifteen, that includes an expanded layout, an elite lineup, and its biggest-ever prize pool of Rs 1 crore.For the primary time, the Masters and Challengers phase will probably be contested over 9 rounds of classical round-robin chess, an improve from the seven rounds in earlier editions.The Masters lineup boasts an outstanding combine. Headlining the sphere are Dutch No. 1 Anish Giri, American Grandmasters Ray Robson and Awonder Liang, Indian spearheads Vidit Gujrathi, Arjun Erigaisi, Karthikeyan Murali, and Nihal Sarin, in addition to Germany’s Vincent Keymer, the Netherlands’ Jorden Van Foreest, and native hopeful Pranav V.
Cross Past The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!This 12 months, then again, all eyes will probably be on Pranav V, the 2024 Challengers winner and the reigning FIDE International Junior Champion, who makes his much-anticipated debut within the Masters phase.However is he feeling the drive?“Now not in point of fact, I’m enjoying Masters this 12 months, however I shouldn’t have any drive as a result of I can simply cross and feature amusing,” mentioned the Grandmaster in an interplay with TimesofIndia.com.“I feel it’s the different guys who would take the drive as a result of I don’t believe I’ve performed the likes of Anish Giri, Vincent Keymer over the board. Even in opposition to Arjun, I have never performed not too long ago within the classical. I performed him a couple of years again within the Nationwide Championships.”The Chennai Grand Masters will apply a round-robin layout, the place each player faces each and every different as soon as in classical time keep watch over video games.And if the match heads right into a tiebreak after 9 rounds, avid gamers will face a two-game blitz fit with a three+2 time keep watch over, adopted by means of an Armageddon if wanted.
Ballot
Which facet of the Chennai Grand Masters are you maximum fascinated by?
And that’s the reason why 18-year-old Pranav has been getting ready for the bodily and mental rigours of the match.“Sure, because the avid gamers are very tricky and in each recreation you will face a 2700-rated participant, I feel it’ll be a unique problem for me. I’ve been coaching bodily and mentally for it. It might be attention-grabbing to look how I might play.”In the meantime, the Challengers phase will lift a plethora of Indian skill, with Abhimanyu Puranik, Leon Mendonca, Harika Dronavalli, Vaishali R, Adhiban Baskaran, and others competing.ALSO READ: Unique | ‘Very sudden’: India’s International Junior Chess Champion Pranav V’s Grand Swiss 2025 access has a wild backstoryWith Russia’s Vladimir Fedoseev taking flight from the match simply days earlier than its get started, GM Karthikeyan Murali used to be promoted to the Masters phase.His vacated spot within the Challengers phase has been stuffed by means of Harshvardhan GB, who completed 3rd in final month’s Chess.com on-line qualifiers. Harshvardhan now turns into the primary Global Grasp (IM) ever to compete within the Chennai Grand Masters.As with earlier editions, a powerful appearing within the Challengers may just open doorways to the Masters subsequent 12 months, a trail Pranav has already walked.