 "World No 5 Arjun Erigaisi and No 10 Anish Giri are the top contenders for the title at the 2025 Chennai Grand Masters. Image: Norway Chess/FIDE")
After his impressive performance at the Esports World Cup in Riyadh last month, where he represented Gen.G and had gone as far as the semi-finals , Arjun Erigaisi is set to compete on home turf in the third edition of the Chennai Grand Masters tournament, India’s strongest Classical tournament.
However, the 21-year-old Indian Grandmaster, who had also reached the semi-finals of the Freestyle Chess Las Vegas event before chess’ debut at the Esports World Cup, is set for quite the challenge, even if he can count on the support of the crowd to boost his morale.
The world No 5, after all, is part of a 10-man field that comprises names such as Anish Giri and Vincent Keymer besides fellow Indians Vidit Gujrathi and Nihal Sarin. Arjun thus faces quite the steep path to the summit, even if he enters the tournament as a title favourite.
Gukesh had won the inaugural edition in 2023, beating Arjun on the Sonneborn-Berger score after both players finished with 4.5 points each at the end of seven rounds. Arjun was also involved in a three-way tie with Aravindh Chithambaram and Levon Aronian on 4.5 points after seven rounds in 2024. Aravindh would go on to win the tie-breaks to be crowned champion .
Having fallen narrowly short twice before, Arjun will be hoping to emerge triumphant on his third attempt.
The third edition of the tournament was set to get underway on Wednesday, 6 August, but it has now been postponed to Thursday, 7 August. A fire incident forced the postponement at the venue, Hyatt Regency in Chennai.
Nonetheless, we present to you the full schedule, format, list of players and everything else you need to know about the Chennai Grand Masters 2025:
When will the third edition of Chennai Grand Masters be taking place?
Chennai Grand Masters 2025 will be taking place from 7 to 15 August. Play will begin at 2 pm IST every day except on the final day, in which it will begin a couple of hours earlier.
Where will the third edition of Chennai Grand Masters be taking place?
The 2025 Chennai Grand Masters will be taking place at the Hyatt Regency in Chennai.
Who are the players competing in the Masters event at Chennai Grand Masters 2025?
The following are the players who will be participating in the ‘Masters’ section:
– GM Arjun Erigaisi (India)
– GM Anish Giri (Netherlands)
– GM Vincent Keymer (Germany)
– GM Vidit Gujrathi (India)
– GM Jorden van Foreest (Netherlands)
– GM Awonder Liang (USA)
– GM Nihal Sarin (India)
– GM Ray Robson (USA)
– GM Murali Karthikeyan (India)
– GM Pranav Venkatesh (India)
What format will the games be played in in Chennai Grand Masters 2025?
The tournament will take place in a single round-robin format with Classical time controls – in which players start with 90 minutes on the clock with an increment of 30 seconds per move.
Should two or more players finish tied for the first spot after nine rounds, the winner will be decided in the tie-breaks which will comprise two blitz games with 3+2 time controls followed by an Armageddon game, if necessary.
How much prize money is on offer at Chennai Grand Masters 2025?
Here’s the total prize money (in Indian rupees) that will be awarded to the players competing in the Masters section, as per final standings:
1st: Rs 25 lakh
2nd: Rs 15 lakh
3rd: Rs 10 lakh
4th: Rs 7.5 lakh
5th: Rs 5 lakh
6th: Rs 3.5 lakh
7th: Rs 3 lakh
8th: Rs 2.4 lakh
9th: Rs 1.8 lakh
10th: Rs 1.8 lakh
Besides the trophy and prize money, the tournament also offers crucial FIDE Circuit points that count towards qualification for next year’s Candidates Tournament.
Where can I watch Chennai Grand Masters 2025 LIVE?
The 2025 Chennai Grand Masters will be streamed live on YouTube by the ChessBase India channel.