Chennai Grand Masters 2025 Round 5: Keymer Maintains Lead, Puranik Dominates Challengers

German GM Vincent Keymer maintained his lead atop the Masters standings despite being held to his second consecutive draw — this time by GM Vidit Gujrathi on Monday. Keymer remains a point ahead of his nearest rival Arjun Erigaisi, who was also held to a draw by compatriot Pranav V.

A highly anticipated clash awaits in Round 6 as Keymer (White) faces Erigaisi (Black) in a battle of the table-toppers.

Chennai Grand Masters 2025 Round 5 Keymer Maintains Lead Puranik Dominates Challengers — (Image Credit: MGD 1)

Now in its third year, the Quantbox Chennai Grand Masters 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. The ₹1 Crore prize pool includes:

Masters winner: ₹25 Lakhs
Challengers winner: ₹7 Lakhs + 2026 Masters berth

The Masters champion also earns 24.5 FIDE Circuit points toward the 2026 Candidates.

Round 5 Highlights

In the Masters section, Jorden van Foreest scored the day’s only decisive result, defeating American GM Ray Robson to draw level with him on 2.0 points. Nihal Sarin and Awonder Liang drew their encounter, while Anish Giri split the point with Murali Karthikeyan.

The Challengers saw black pieces dominate the top boards — leader GM Abhimanyu Puranik beat GM Harika Dronavalli to stretch his lead to a full point. IM Harshavardhan GB defeated GM Vaishali Rameshbabu with black, while GM Leon Mendonca held GM Pranesh M to a draw.

Masters – Round 5 Results

White	Score	Black
Anish Giri	½ – ½	Murali Karthikeyan
Vidit Gujrathi	½ – ½	Vincent Keymer
Arjun Erigaisi	½ – ½	Pranav V
Liang Awonder	½ – ½	Nihal Sarin
Jorden van Foreest	1 – 0	Ray Robson

Challengers – Round 5 Results

White	Score	Black
Vaishali Rameshbabu	0 – 1	Harshavardhan GB
Harika Dronavalli	0 – 1	Abhimanyu Puranik
M Pranesh	½ – ½	Leon Luke Mendonca
Aryan Chopra	½ – ½	Adhiban B
Diptayan Ghosh	½ – ½	Pa Iniyan

Masters Standings – After Round 5

Rank	Player	Points
1	Vincent Keymer	4.0
2	Arjun Erigaisi	3.0
3-6	Anish Giri, Vidit Gujrathi, Murali Karthikeyan, Awonder Liang	2.5
7-10	Nihal Sarin, Pranav V, Ray Robson, Jorden van Foreest	2.0

Challengers Standings – After Round 5

Rank	Player	Points
1	Abhimanyu Puranik	4.5
2-4	Pranesh M, Diptayan Ghosh, Leon Luke Mendonca	3.5
5	Iniyan Pa	3.0
6	Adhiban B	2.5
7-8	Aryan Chopra, Harshavardhan GB	1.5
9	Vaishali Rameshbabu	1.0
10	Harika Dronavalli	0.5

Event Info

Matches start daily at 3:00 PM IST (12:00 PM on final day) at Hyatt Regency Chennai. Fans can enjoy live commentary, interactive zones, and exclusive merchandise. Tickets are available from ₹250, with VIP passes at ₹3,500 including full-day premium access and high-tea snacks.