 "Chennai Grand Masters 2025: Vincent Keymer inches closer to title as Arjun Erigaisi draws again")
German Grandmaster Vincent Keymar has taken a decisive lead after Round 7 of Chennai Grand Masters 2025 on Wednesday, August 13. Keymer continued his strong run with a win against American GM Awonder Liang, extending his lead in the standings and handing a massive blow to India’s title hopes.
Meanwhile, Arjun Erigaisi and Dutch GM Anish Giri played to another draw, keeping the Indian GM in second place overall. Vidit Gujrathi suffered a loss to Karthikeyan Murali, which helped the latter to climb to third position. Vincent Jordan van Foreest drew with V Pranav, and Nihal Sarin defeated Ray Robson, causing more changes to the rankings.
After Round 7, Keymer leads the Masters table with 5.5 points. Arjun Erigaisi and Karthikeyan Murali are tied at 4 points each, followed closely by Anish Giri at 3.5. Awonder Liang, Jordan van Foreest, Vidit Gujrathi, Nihal Sarin, V Pranav, and Ray Robson round out the top 10 with points ranging from 3.5 to 2.5.
Round 7 – Masters Summary
— Quantbox Chennai Grand Masters (@Chennai_GM) August 13, 2025
Uncompromising play and unshakable focus drove the action in Round 7.
The title contenders are emerging — but nothing is set in stone. 🔥
Who’s making their final push for glory?
📍 Chennai | 🗓️ 13 Aug 2025@ChessbaseIndia @chess24com @chesscom_in… https://t.co/kTloEELcFf
In the Challengers section, International Master Harshavardhan GB beat GM Harika Dronavalli, while M Pranesh defeated Vaishali Rameshbabu. Aryan Chopra drew with Abhimanyu Puranik, and Leon Luke Mendonca continued his good form by defeating Diptayan Ghosh. Pa Iniyan drew with Adhiban Baskaran.
Chennai Grand Masters 2025: Masters standings after Round 7
| Rank | GM | Country | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vincent Keymer | Germany | 5.5 |
| 2 | Arjun Erigaisi | India | 4.0 |
| 3 | Karthikeyan Murali | India | 4.0 |
| 4 | Anish Giri | Netherlands | 3.5 |
| 5 | Awonder Liang | USA | 3.5 |
| 6 | Jorden van Foreest | Netherlands | 3.5 |
| 7 | Vidit Gujrathi | India | 3.0 |
| 8 | Nihal Sarin | India | 3.0 |
| 9 | V Pranav | India | 2.5 |
| 10 | Ray Robson | USA | 2.5 |
Chennai Grand Masters 2025: Challengers standings after Round 7
| Rank | GM/IM | Country | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | M Pranesh | India | 5.5 |
| 2 | Leon Luke Mendonca | India | 5.5 |
| 3 | Abhimanyu Puranik | India | 5.0 |
| 4 | Adhiban Baskaran | India | 4.0 |
| 5 | Pa Iniyan | India | 4.0 |
| 6 | Diptayan Ghosh | India | 3.5 |
| 7 | Harshavardhan GB | India | 3.0 |
| 8 | Aryan Chopra | India | 2.0 |
| 9 | Harika Dronavalli | India | 1.5 |
| 10 | Vaishali Rameshbabu | India | 1.0 |
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