Tournament winner defends tricky endgame

Vincent Keymer confirmed overall victory at the Quantbox Chennai Grand Masters 2025 with a round to spare, after all four games in the penultimate round of the Masters ended in draws.

The German number one went into round eight holding a 1½-point lead over top seed Arjun Erigaisi, meaning that even a single draw would secure him at least a tie for first place. Paired with Jorden van Foreest and playing white against a King's Indian Defence, Keymer steered the game into calmer waters out of the opening.

By move 30, most pieces had been traded, and the resulting bishop endgame appeared balanced. Nevertheless, both players continued to manoeuvre for almost 30 more moves, with Van Foreest testing Keymer's defensive technique. The eventual draw not only cemented Keymer's tournament victory but also preserved his strong rating gain.

Keymer ½-½ Van Foreest

Analysis by GM Karsten Müller

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The other boards in the Masters followed a similar storyline, with occasional sparks failing to ignite into decisive results. Nihal Sarin, defending with the Alekhine Defence against Karthikeyan Murali, reached a middlegame in which both sides looked for opportunities without overextending. Nihal eventually emerged with a small edge in the endgame, but it was insufficient to tip the balance, and a draw was agreed.

In the game between Pranav Venkatesh and Ray Robson, a quiet variation of the Najdorf Sicilian led to an unusual pawn distribution - five pawns for each side but in atypical configurations. After some manoeuvring, neither player found a clear route forward, and the game ended abruptly via threefold repetition.

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Anish Giri and Awonder Liang contested a Ruy Lopez where both tried to gain space without taking undue risks. By move 37, they also reached a position repeated three times, signing the scoresheets for a draw.

Anish Giri

The most aggressive opening of the day came in Vidit Gujrathi's clash with Arjun Erigaisi. From a typical isolated pawn position, Vidit sacrificed a knight on f7 to push the world number six into a defensive posture.

Arjun, however, reacted calmly and precisely, neutralising the pressure, after which the game gradually simplified into a level ending.

For Keymer, the day marked more than just winning a tournament early. His consistent form throughout the event - including three consecutive wins at the start and solid draws against elite opposition thereafter - has yielded a rating gain of 16.5 points. This result propels him into the live world top 10 for the first time in his career, making him the first German player since Robert Hübner to reach such heights.

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This video course provides a comprehensive and practical White repertoire in the Ruy Lopez! Through instructive model games and in-depth theoretical explanations, you will learn how to confidently handle both main lines and sidelines.
Free video sample: Introduction
Free video sample: Overview
Free video sample: Chigorin: 9...Na5 10.Bc2 c5 11.d4 Nd7/cxd4

Along with this milestone, Keymer has secured a prize of approximately $30,000 and 24 FIDE Circuit points. The schedule in Chennai, altered by the postponement of the first round due to a hotel fire, allowed no rest days.

Round 8 results

Standings after round 8

All games

Challengers: Pranesh scores to grab sole lead

In contrast, the Challengers section remains undecided and is poised for a tense final day. M Pranesh emerged as sole leader on 6½ points after defeating Harika Dronavalli, extending his winning streak to three games.

The 18-year-old now has a clear path to the title: a win in the final round will guarantee him first place and promotion to next year's Masters. He will have the white pieces against Harshavardhan G B, who in round eight lost a lengthy battle to Adhiban Baskaran.

Should Pranesh fail to secure victory, Leon Luke Mendonca and Abhimanyu Puranik - both half a point behind - will be ready to capitalise. Abhimanyu scored an important win over Diptayan Ghosh in a tense, technical endgame, while Mendonca was held to a draw by Iniyan P.

With three players still in contention and all facing difficult pairings, the race for the Challengers title - unlike in the Masters - is set to go down to the wire.

Round 8 results

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Standings after round 8

All games

Links

• Official website
• ChessBase India
• Aravindh beats Aronian in tiebreaks, wins Chennai Grand Masters (2024)
• Gukesh wins the Chennai Masters, Arjun second and Harikrishna third (2023)