Nihal Sarin lit up Round 4 of the Quantbox Chennai Grand Masters 2025 with a hard-fought win over compatriot Arjun Erigaisi, snapping the latter’s unbeaten streak and shaking up the title race on Sunday.
Meanwhile, German star Vincent Keymer stayed firmly in control, holding Anish Giri to maintain his one-point lead at India’s strongest classical chess event.
Now in its third year, the Quantbox Chennai Grand Masters 2025 is India’s strongest classical chess event. Organised by MGD1, it features two elite 10-player round-robin sections—Masters and Challengers—across nine rounds in ten days. With a ₹1 Crore prize pool, the Masters winner earns ₹25 Lakhs, the Challengers winner ₹7 Lakhs and a coveted 2026 Masters berth. The event also offers FIDE Circuit points, with the Masters champion securing 24.5 toward 2026 Candidates qualification.
Nihal’s win over Arjun came after a tense, strategic battle that began with the Reti Opening, with Arjun mirroring his compatriot’s setup. With chess legend Vishwanathan Anand presiding in the commentary box, providing fans with a unique live experience, the game unfolded at a measured pace, with Arjun claiming the first piece on move 15.
A tightly contested middlegame gradually opened up, allowing Nihal to press his advantage and convert on move 70 for his first victory of the 2025 edition. Elsewhere, GM Murali Karthikeyan also impressed, defeating Jorden van Foreest to climb up the standings.
In other Masters results, GM Vidit Gujrathi and GM Pranav V split the points after a balanced encounter, while the all-American clash between GM Awonder Liang and GM Ray Robson also ended with half-a-point apiece. Keymer’s draw with Giri kept him in the sole lead, while Nihal’s victory over Arjun injected fresh intrigue into the title race.
In the Challengers section, GM Abhimanyu Puranik emerged as the sole leader after defeating WGM Vaishali Rameshbabu with the white pieces, capitalising on hitherto joint leader M Pranesh’s draw against GM Adhiban Baskaran. GM Diptayan Ghosh scored a win by beating Harshavardhan GB, while GM Leon Luke Mendonca also stayed in contention with a victory over GM Harika Dronavalli–both moving level with Pranesh on 3 points. GM P Iniyan overcame GM Aryan Chopra to move to 2.5 points.
Masters – Round 4 Results:
● Murali Karthikeyan (1) def. Jordan van Foreest (0)
● Ray Robson (½) drew Liang Awonder (½)
● Nihal Sarin (1) def. Arjun Erigaisi (0)
● Pranav V (½) drew Vidit Gujrathi (½)
● Vincent Keymer (½) drew Anish Giri (½)
Challengers – Round 4 Results:
● Harshvardhan GB (0) lost to Diptayan Ghosh (1)
● P Iniyan (1) def. Aryan Chopra (0)
● Adhiban B (½) drew Pranesh M (½)
● Leon Luke Mendonca (1) def. Harika Dronavalli (0)
● Abhinmanyu Puranik (1) def. Vaishali Rameshbabu (0)
Masters Standings after Day 4:
1. Vincent Keymer – 3.5
2. Arjun Erigaisi – 2.5
3. Anish Giri – 2
4. Ray Robson – 2
5. Awonder Liang – 2
6. Vidit Gujrathi – 2
7. Karthikeyan Murali – 2
8. Nihal Sarin – 1.5
9. V Pranav – 1.5
10. Jorden van Foreest – 1
Challengers Standings after Day 4:
1. Abhimanyu Puranik – 3.5
2. M Pranesh – 3
3. Diptayan Ghosh – 3
4. Leon Luke Mendonca – 3
5. Pa Iniyan – 2.5
6. Adhiban Baskaran – 2
7. Vaishali Rameshbabu – 1
8. Aryan Chopra – 1
9. Harika Dronavalli – 0.5
10. Harshavardhan GB – 0.5
© 2026