Chennai Grand Masters 2025: Vincent Keymer seals title with a round to spare, becomes tournament’s first ever sole champion

CHENNAI: Vincent Keymer completed a landmark triumph at the Chennai Grand Masters 2025, securing the title with a round to spare and becoming the first sole champion in the tournament’s history. The 20-year-old German, playing white, drew his match against Dutchman Jordan van Foreest, while results elsewhere confirmed his tournament victory.

Keymer’s dominance over a star-studded field also catapulted him into the world’s Top 10 on the live rating list, underlining his arrival among the game’s elite.

Now in its third year, 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 nine days. With a Rs 1 crore prize pool, the Masters winner earns Rs 25 Lakhs, the Challengers winner Rs 7 lakh and a coveted 2026 Masters berth. The event also offers FIDE Circuit points, with the Masters champion securing 24.5 toward the 2026 Candidates qualification.

Speaking on his victory, Keymer said, “I am very happy with the tournament. Winning my games in the first rounds made me self-confident and helped me to be focused, concentrated, and calm. Entering the top 10 in live rating is a milestone I have wanted to reach for a long time, and I am very glad that the hard work finally paid off.”

“Winning the tournament and breaking into the Top 10 at the same time is fantastic for me and truly special. However, the tournament will continue tomorrow. That is why I prefer to remain focused and keep the tension for the last round. Winning the tournament is a fantastic achievement, but I also really want to stay in the Top 10, meaning either drawing or winning tomorrow’s game,” he added.

Check out the moments as @VincentKeymer04 comes out after defeating Ray Robson, winning the @Chennai_GM with a cherry on top! Aruna Anand congratulates Vincent, as @anishgiri joins in after defeating Jorden van Foreest in an insane game. pic.twitter.com/NOTIXYX9PB

— ChessBase India (@ChessbaseIndia) August 15, 2025

Elsewhere in the Masters, all five games ended in draws, a rare full split that keeps the race for second and third wide open heading into the final round. Arjun Erigaisi and Karthikeyan Murali-playing each other on day 9-remain in contention alongside several close pursuers, with every half-point on the final day set to carry weighty implications for both the standings and crucial FIDE rating gains.

In the Challengers, GM Pranesh M tightened his grip on the leaderboard with a crucial win over GM Harika Dronavalli, taking a half-point lead (6.5) into the final day. Right behind him, GM Abhimanyu Puranik stayed in contention by defeating GM Diptayan Ghosh, while GM Leon Luke Mendonca’s draw with GM Pa Iniyan kept him level with Abhimanyu and just half a point adrift of the top. GM Adhiban Baskaran’s victory over IM Harshavardhan GB and GM Aryan Chopra’s win against GM Vaishali Rameshbabu rounded off the day’s results.

Fans can watch live at 12:00 PM on the final day at Hyatt Regency Chennai, with on-ground experiences including commentary zones, fan activations and exclusive merchandise.

Masters – Round 8 Results:

* Karthikeyan Murali ( 1/2 ) drew Nihal Sarin ( 1/2 )
* V Pranav ( 1/2 ) drew Ray Robson ( 1/2 )
* Vincent Keymer ( 1/2 ) drew Jordan van Foreest ( 1/2 )
* Anish Giri ( 1/2 ) drew Awonder Liang ( 1/2 )
* Vidit Gujrathi ( 1/2 ) drew Arjun Erigaisi ( 1/2 )
Masters – Standings After Round 8:
1. Vincent Keymer – 6.0 (W)
=2 Arjun Erigaisi – 4.5
=2 Karthikeyan Murali – 4.5
=4 Anish Giri – 4.0
=4 Jorden van Foreest – 4.0
=4 Awonder Liang – 4.0
=7 Vidit Gujrathi – 3.5
=7 Nihal Sarin – 3.5
=9 Pranav V – 3.0
=9 Ray Robson – 3.0

Challengers – Round 8 Results:

* Harshavardhan GB (0) lost to Adhiban Baskaran (1)
* Leon Luke Mendonca ( 1/2 ) drew Pa Iniyan ( 1/2 )
* Abhimanyu Puranik (1) def. Diptayan Ghosh (0)
* Vaishali Rameshbabu (0) lost to Aryan Chopra (1)
* Harika Dronavalli (0) lost to Pranesh M (1)

Challengers – Standings After Round 8:

1. M Pranesh – 6.5
=2 Abhimanyu Puranik – 6.0
=2 Leon Luke Mendonca – 6.0
4. Adhiban Baskaran – 5.0
5. P Iniyan – 4.5
6. Diptayan Ghosh – 3.5
=7 Aryan Chopra – 3.0
=7 Harshavardhan G B – 3.0
9. Harika Dronavalli – 1.5
10. Vaishali Rameshbabu – 1.0. (ANI)