Thrilling Draws and Decisive Wins Heat Up Chennai Grand Masters 2024

Arjun Erigaisi secures a draw against Levon Aronian, maintaining a strong position in the Chennai Grand Masters 2024. In the Challengers category, Vaishali R also earns her first points. Both Masters and Challengers categories showcase talented chess players in a gripping tournament setting.

Chennai—Indian chess sensation Arjun Erigaisi exhibited remarkable resilience in the Chennai Grand Masters 2024 by drawing against the formidable American Grandmaster Levon Aronian, the tournament's second-highest-seeded player. This closely-contested battle highlights Arjun's skill as he opens with a Queen's Pawn, reciprocated by Aronian's Indian Game.

Meanwhile, the inaugural Challengers category saw impressive performances as Vaishali R, one of the few female participants, marked her debut with a draw against Raunak Sadhwani. This event provides Indian talent a world-class platform to showcase their potential, underscored by intense matchups and strategic gameplay.

Day two added to the excitement as Aravindh Chithambaram and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave ended their tense encounter in a draw, while Amin Tabatabaei and Parham Maghsoodloo secured wins against their respective opponents. Over in Challengers, Leon Mendonca stands out with a clean victory over Harika Dronavalli. The emerging leaderboard sees Arjun, Vachier-Lagrave, and Tabatabaei tied for the top spot in Masters, while Leon and Pranav head the Challengers with a flawless record.

(With inputs from agencies.)