German GM Vincent Keymer stayed firmly in command of the Quantbox Chennai Grand Masters 2025 after holding India’s GM Vidit Gujrathi to a second straight draw in Round 5 on Monday.
The 19-year-old, unbeaten so far, leads by a full point over nearest rival Arjun Erigaisi, who was also held to a draw by Pranav V. All eyes now turn to Day 6, when Keymer—armed with the white pieces—faces Arjun in a top-of-the-table clash that could shape the title race.
Now in its third edition, the Quantbox Chennai Grand Masters is India’s strongest classical chess event, organised by MGD1. The tournament features two elite 10-player round-robin sections—Masters and Challengers—played over nine rounds in ten days. With a total prize pool of ₹1 crore, the Masters champion pockets ₹25 lakh, while the Challengers winner takes home ₹7 lakh and a coveted 2026 Masters berth. The Masters title also carries 24.5 FIDE Circuit points toward 2026 Candidates qualification.
The only decisive result came from Dutch GM Jorden van Foreest, who defeated American GM Ray Robson to draw level on points with him at 2.0. Nihal Sarin split the point with Awonder Liang, while Anish Giri and Murali Karthikeyan played out a balanced draw.
The black pieces dominated at the top, with leader GM Abhimanyu Puranik defeating GM Harika Dronavalli to stretch his lead to a full point. IM Harshavardhan GB also won with black, beating GM Vaishali Rameshbabu. GM Leon Luke Mendonca held GM Pranesh M to a draw, while GM Iniyan Pa split the point with GM Diptayan Ghosh.
Round 5 Results
Masters
• Anish Giri ½–½ Murali Karthikeyan
• Vidit Gujrathi ½–½ Vincent Keymer
• Arjun Erigaisi ½–½ Pranav V
• Awonder Liang ½–½ Nihal Sarin
• Jorden van Foreest 1–0 Ray Robson
Challengers
• Vaishali Rameshbabu 0–1 Harshavardhan GB
• Harika Dronavalli 0–1 Abhimanyu Puranik
• M Pranesh ½–½ Leon Luke Mendonca
• Aryan Chopra ½–½ Adhiban B
• Diptayan Ghosh ½–½ Iniyan Pa
Standings After Round 5
Masters
1. Vincent Keymer – 4.0
2. Arjun Erigaisi – 3.0
3-6. Anish Giri, Vidit Gujrathi, Murali Karthikeyan, Awonder Liang – 2.5
7-10. Nihal Sarin, Pranav V, Ray Robson, Jorden van Foreest – 2.0
Challengers
1. Abhimanyu Puranik – 4.5
2-4. M Pranesh, Diptayan Ghosh, Leon Luke Mendonca – 3.5
2. Iniyan Pa – 3.0
3. Adhiban Baskaran – 2.5
7-8. Aryan Chopra, Harshavardhan GB – 1.5
4. Vaishali Rameshbabu – 1.0
5. Harika Dronavalli – 0.5
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