Chennai Grand Masters 2024: Arjun Erigaisi Maintains Lead After Round 5, Murali Karthikeyan Secures Sole Victory

GM Arjun Erigaisi continues to dominate the Masters section of the Chennai Grand Masters 2024 tournament with four points after a draw with GM Parham Maghsoodloo in the fifth round. Trailing closely behind is GM Levon Aronian, who secured a win against GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave to reach 3.5 points. Aronian was the only winner of the day in the Masters section.

In the Challengers section, GM Pranav Venkatesh maintained his lead despite being held to a draw by GM Raunak Sadhwani. Venkatesh currently leads the field with 4.5 points, followed by GM Leon Mendonca and Sadhwani with 3.5 and three points respectively.

GM Murali Karthikeyan emerged as the sole winner of the day with his second consecutive win, defeating GM Abhimanyu Puranik in a thrilling endgame blunder.

The tournament in Chennai saw only one decisive result in each section on this day, with all games being intense battles. Aronian’s victory over Vachier-Lagrave showcased his smooth and confident play, with a notable moment being his bold move 39.Kf1. In the Challengers section, the game between Karthikeyan and Puranik was a messy affair that ended in a mutual time scramble blunder.

The Chennai Grand Masters 2024 tournament, held in India, features an eight-player round-robin format with a time control of 90+30. With a prize fund of 50 lakhs, approximately $60,000, the tournament is considered India’s strongest classical super-tournament of the year.

Round six of the tournament is set to begin on Sunday, November 10, at 4:30 a.m. ET/10:30 CET/3 p.m. IST. Fans can follow the games on the Events Page for the tournament. Stay tuned for more updates on this exciting chess event.