Germany’s top-ranked Vincent Keymer is on a dream run at the Chennai Grand Masters 2025, claiming his third straight victory by defeating Karthikeyan Murali in Round 3 at the Hyatt Regency. With this win, Keymer stands alone at the top of the Masters section as the only player with a perfect score, staking an early claim to the title in India’s most prestigious classical chess tournament. It was also a strong day for Arjun Erigaisi, who overcame American GM Ray Robson to stay within striking distance of the leader. Vidit Gujrathi bounced back with a much-needed win over Nihal Sarin, while Awonder Liang registered his first point of the event, upsetting Dutch GM Jorden van Foreest. Youngster V Pranav impressed again, holding top seed Anish Giri to a well-earned draw.Masters – Round 3 Results:
- Vincent Keymer (1) def. Karthikeyan Murali (0)
- Arjun Erigaisi (1) def. Ray Robson (0)
- Awonder Liang (1 ) def. Jorden van Foreest (0)
- V Pranav (½) drew Anish Giri (½)
- Vidit Gujrathi (1) def. Nihal Sarin (0)
Masters Standings after Day 3:
- 1. Vincent Keymer – 3
- 2. Arjun Erigaisi – 2.5
- 3. Ray Robson – 1.5
- 4. Awonder Liang – 1.5
- 5. Anish Giri – 1.5
- 6. Vidit Gujrathi – 1.5
- 7. Jorden van Foreest – 1
- 8. V Pranav – 1
- 9. Karthikeyan Murali – 1
- 10. Nihal Sarin – 0.5
In the Challengers section, Abhimanyu Puranik kept his momentum going with a win against Harshavardhan GB. M Pranesh scored over Pa Iniyan to keep the race for the top tight, while Leon Luke Mendonca beat Vaishali Rameshbabu.
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Adhiban Baskaran and Harika Dronavalli shared the spoils, as did Aryan Chopra and Diptayan Ghosh after a balanced battle. The Chennai Grand Masters 2025, organised by MGD1, features two elite 10-player round-robin events, the Masters and the Challengers, played over nine rounds in ten days.The Challengers’ winner will take home Rs 7 lakh and secure a direct spot in the 2026 Masters.Challengers – Round 3 Results:Abhimanyu Puranik (1) def. Harshavardhan GB (0)M Pranesh (1) def. Pa Iniyan (0)Adhiban Baskaran (½) drew Harika Dronavalli (½)Leon Luke Mendonca (1) def. Vaishali Rameshbabu (0)Aryan Chopra (½) drew Diptayan Ghosh (½)Challengers – Points Table after Day 3
- 1. M Pranesh – 2.5
- 2. Abhimanyu Puranik – 2.5
- 3. Diptayan Ghosh – 2
- 4. Leon Luke Mendonca – 2
- 5. Adhiban Baskaran – 1.5
- 6. Pa Iniyan – 1.5
- 7. Vaishali Rameshbabu – 1
- 8. Aryan Chopra – 1
- 9. Harika Dronavalli – 0.5
- 10. Harshavardhan G B – 0.5
