Chennai Grand Masters

LocationChennai, India

Established2023

Chennai Grand Masters
Tournament information
Sport	Chess
Location	Chennai, India
Established	2023
Format	Round-robin tournament

The Chennai Grand Masters is an annual closed chess tournament held in Chennai, India.

Vincent Keymer won the most recent edition in 2025.^[1]^[2]

#	Year	Winner
1	2023	Gukesh Dommaraju (India)
2	2024	Aravindh Chithambaram (India)
3	2025	Vincent Keymer (Germany)

2023

The 2023 Chennai Grand Masters was organized from 15 December to 21 December at The Leela Palace Chennai.^[3] It was organized by MGD1, NODWIN Gaming, and ChessBase India, with support from the Tamil Nadu Government and Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu.^[4]

The tournament was announced only 4 days prior to its start, which led to criticism that the tournament was held at the last minute to help Gukesh Dommaraju and Arjun Erigaisi qualify for the Candidates Tournament 2024. However, FIDE deputy president Viswanathan Anand explained that the organization of the tournament is within the rules.^[5]^[6]

After the seventh round, Gukesh and Arjun were tied for the first place with 4.5 points each. The Sonneborn–Berger score was used as the tie-breaker, and Gukesh emerged victorious.^[7]

1st Chennai Grand Masters, 15–21 December 2023, Chennai, India, Category XIX (2711)^[8]
	Player	Rating	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	Points	SB
1	Gukesh Dommaraju (India)	2720	Does not appear	½	½	½	½	½	1	1	4½	13.75
2	Arjun Erigaisi (India)	2727	½	Does not appear	0	½	½	1	1	1	4½	13.00
3	Pentala Harikrishna (India)	2696	½	1	Does not appear	½	½	½	½	½	4	14.25
4	Pavel Eljanov (Ukraine)	2691	½	½	½	Does not appear	½	1	0	1	4	13.25
5	Levon Aronian (USA)	2723	½	½	½	½	Does not appear	½	½	½	3½	12.25
6	Parham Maghsoodloo (Iran)	2742	½	0	½	0	½	Does not appear	1	1	3½	10.00
7	Sanan Sjugirov (Hungary)	2703	0	0	½	1	½	0	Does not appear	½	2½	8.50
8	Alexandr Predke (Serbia)	2689	0	0	½	0	½	0	½	Does not appear	1½	5.00

2024

The 2024 edition was India's strongest classical super-tournament of the year. It was held from 5 November to 11 November at the Anna Centenary Library.^[9]

After the seventh round, there was a three-way tie between Levon Aronian, Arjun Erigaisi, and Aravindh Chithambaram. Aravindh was declared the winner after tiebreaks. The challengers section was won by V. Pranav.^[10]

Masters

2nd Chennai Grand Masters, 5–11 November 2024, Chennai, India, Category XIX (2725)^[11]
	Player	Rating	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	Points
1	Aravindh Chithambaram (India)	2706	Does not appear	½	1	½	½	1	½	½	4½
2	Levon Aronian (USA)	2739	½	Does not appear	½	½	1	1	½	½	4½
3	Arjun Erigaisi (India)	2799	0	½	Does not appear	1	½	½	1	1	4½
4	Amin Tabatabaei (Iran)	2686	½	½	0	Does not appear	1	½	1	½	4
5	Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (France)	2737	½	0	½	0	Does not appear	1	½	½	3
6	Parham Maghsoodloo (Iran)	2712	0	0	½	½	0	Does not appear	½	1	2½
7	Alexey Sarana (Serbia)	2679	½	½	0	0	½	½	Does not appear	½	2½
8	Vidit Gujrathi (India)	2739	½	½	0	½	½	0	½	Does not appear	2½

Tiebreaks

The tiebreak was a two-game blitz match, followed by an armageddon if necessary. The time control was 3 minutes with a 2-second increment per move.^[12] Aravindh was given a bye because he had a better score in terms of direct encounters, beating Arjun in their game.^[10] He then won the final match against Levon Aronian, who had proceeded after holding a draw as black in the armageddon game.

Semifinals			Finals

			1	Aravindh Chithambaram	2
2	Levon Aronian	1½	2	Levon Aronian	0
3	Arjun Erigaisi	1½

Challengers

1st Chennai Grand Masters Challengers, 5–11 November 2024, Chennai, India, Category XIV (2594)^[13]
	Player	Rating	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	Points
1	Pranav V	2602	Does not appear	½	½	1	1	½	1	1	5½
2	Leon Luke Mendonca	2631	½	Does not appear	½	1	½	½	1	1	5
3	Raunak Sadhwani	2677	½	½	Does not appear	1	½	½	½	½	4
4	Karthikeyan Murali	2625	0	0	0	Does not appear	1	½	1	1	3½
5	Abhimanyu Puranik	2652	0	½	½	0	Does not appear	1	½	1	3½
6	Pranesh M	2580	½	½	½	½	0	Does not appear	½	1	3½
7	Harika Dronavalli	2493	0	0	½	0	½	½	Does not appear	½	2
8	Vaishali Rameshbabu	2490	0	0	½	0	0	0	½	Does not appear	1

2025

The 2025 edition was India's strongest classical super-tournament of the year. It was held from 7 August to 15 August at the Hyatt Regency Chennai, after a one-day delay caused by a fire incident at the players’ hotel.^[14]

Vincent Keymer won the tournament with one round to spare. Pranesh M won in the Challengers section. ^[15]

Masters

3rd Quantbox Chennai Grand Masters, 7–16 August 2025, Chennai, India, Category XVIII (2700)^[16]
	Player	Rating	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	Points
1	Vincent Keymer (Germany)	2730	Does not appear	½	½	1	1	1	½	½	1	1	7
2	Anish Giri (Netherlands)	2748	½	Does not appear	½	½	½	½	½	1	½	½	5
3	Arjun Erigaisi (India)	2776	½	½	Does not appear	½	0	1	½	½	½	1	5
4	Karthikeyan Murali (India)	2658	0	½	½	Does not appear	½	½	1	1	½	½	5
5	Nihal Sarin (India)	2692	0	½	1	½	Does not appear	½	0	0	1	1	4½
6	Awonder Liang (United States)	2696	0	½	0	½	½	Does not appear	½	1	1	½	4½
7	Vidit Gujrathi (India)	2720	½	½	½	0	1	½	Does not appear	½	½	0	4
8	Jorden van Foreest (Netherlands)	2697	½	0	½	0	1	0	½	Does not appear	½	1	4
9	Pranav V (India)	2597	0	½	½	½	0	0	½	½	Does not appear	½	3
10	Ray Robson (United States)	2687	0	½	0	½	0	½	1	0	½	Does not appear	3

Challengers

2nd Quantbox Chennai Grand Masters Challengers, 7–16 August 2025, Chennai, India, Category XIII (2558)^[17]
	Player	Rating	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	Points
1	GM Pranesh M	2589	Does not appear	½	1	½	1	½	0	1	1	1	6½
2	GM Adhiban Baskaran	2534	½	Does not appear	½	1	½	1	1	½	½	½	6
3	GM Abhimanyu Puranik	2635	0	½	Does not appear	1	0	1	1	½	1	1	6
4	GM Leon Luke Mendonca	2606	½	0	0	Does not appear	½	1	1	1	1	1	6
5	GM P. Iniyan	2586	0	½	1	½	Does not appear	½	½	1	1	½	5½
6	GM Diptayan Ghosh	2576	½	0	0	0	½	Does not appear	1	½	1	1	4½
7	IM Harshavardhan G. B.	2454	1	0	0	0	½	0	Does not appear	½	1	1	4
8	GM Aryan Chopra	2634	0	½	½	0	0	½	½	Does not appear	1	1	4
9	GM Harika Dronavalli	2487	0	½	0	0	0	0	0	0	Does not appear	1	1½
10	GM Vaishali Rameshbabu	2476	0	½	0	0	½	0	0	0	0	Does not appear	1

v t e Major recurring international chess tournaments
Strong chess tournaments Mini chess tournaments Round-robin chess tournaments
Major present (average rating > 2700; round-robin system generally)	Chennai Grand Masters (since 2023) Grand Chess Tour (since 2015) Grenke Chess Festival (since 2013) Norway Chess (since 2013) Prague Chess Festival (since 2019) Shamkir Chess (since 2014) Shenzhen Masters (since 2017) Sinquefield Cup (since 2013) Tata Steel Chess Tournament (since 1938) UzChess Cup (since 2024) Tata Steel India (since 2018)
Other present (Swiss system generally)	Aeroflot Open (since 2002) Australasian Masters (since 1987) Biel Chess Festival (since 1968) Canadian Open (since 1956) Capablanca Memorial (since 1962) Cappelle-la-Grande Open (since 1985) Carlos Torre Repetto Memorial (since 1987) Chigorin Memorial (since 1909) Doeberl Cup (since 1963) Dortmund Sparkassen Chess Meeting (since 1973) Dubai Open (since 1999) Hastings International Chess Congress (since 1920) Hogeschool Zeeland Tournament (since 1995) London Chess Classic (since 2009) Lublin Grandmaster Tournament (since 2009) Paul Keres Memorials (Tallinn, since 1969) (Vancouver, since 1975) Qatar Masters Open (2014–2015, since 2023) Reykjavik Open (since 1964) Rilton Cup (since 1971) Rubinstein Memorial (since 1963) South African Open (since 1962) U.S. Open (since 1900) TePe Sigeman & Co chess tournament (since 1993) Vidmar Memorial (since 1969) World Open (since 1973) Xtracon Chess Open (since 1979) Zurich Christmas Open (since 1977)
Recently cancelled (after 2000)	Alekhine Memorial (1956–2013, irregular) Acropolis (1968–2009) Aerosvit (2006–2008) Amber (1992–2011) Bilbao Chess Masters Final (2008–2016) Gibraltar Chess Festival (2003–2020) Howard Staunton Memorial (2003–2009) Linares (1978–2010) Mar del Plata (1928–2001) Millionaire Chess (2014–2016) M-Tel Masters (2005–2009) North Sea Cup (1976–2008) Pearl Spring (2008–2010) Reggio Emilia (1947–2012) RTU Open (2011–2024) Tal Memorial (2006–2018) Zurich Chess Challenge (2012–2017)
Major past (19th–20th century)	American Chess Congress (1857–1923) Carl Schlechter Memorial (1923–1996) DSB Congress (1879–1932) General Government (1940–1944) IBM international (1961–1981) Konex (1977–1994) Leopold Trebitsch Memorial (1907–1938) Lone Pine International (1971–1981) Max Euwe Memorial (1987–1996) Monte Carlo (1901–1904; 1967–1969) Netanya (1961–1983) Palma de Mallorca (1965–1972) Phillips & Drew Kings (1980–1986) Piatigorsky Cup (1963–1966) San Sebastián (1911–1912) Silesian Chess Congress (1922–1939) Tilburg (1977–1998) Triberg (1914–1917)
Chess competitions National championships Supranational championships

Chennai Grand Masters

2023

2024

Masters

Tiebreaks

Challengers

2025

Masters

Challengers

References

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