Chennai Grandmasters Day 2: Vincent Keymer Maintains Winning Streak, Dronavalli Yet to Open Account
Arjun Erigaisi played out a draw with Jorden Van Foreest in the Chennai Grandmasters, while Vincent Keymer moved into the lead after defeating Pranav V.
On the second day of the Chennai Grandmasters on Friday, Arjun Erigaisi was held to a draw by Dutch player Jorden Van Foreest, while German Vincent Keymer continued his winning streak by overcoming Pranav V.
With this victory, Keymer displaced Erigaisi from the top spot in the Masters category standings. American Ray Robson handed Vidit Gujrathi a defeat, while Dutchman Anish Giri got the better of Nihal Sarin.
Robson drew level with Erigaisi on points courtesy of his win. Harika Dronavalli’s wait to get off the mark continued as she went down to Iniyan Pa in the Challengers section, while Vaishali and Adhiban shared honours for the day.
Diptayan Ghosh, who stunned Dronavalli in the opening round, settled for a draw against Pranesh M. Aryan Chopra and Harshavardan GB also played out a draw in the Challengers section, while Abhimanyu Puranik registered his first win of the tournament against compatriot Leon Luke Mendonca.
The first board to finish on the day was the one between Karthikeyan Murali and Liang Awonder, with both players agreeing to share points early on Day 2.
Sarin and Awonder opened their accounts with draws in the Masters category, while Harshavardhan and Chopra also secured their first points. At the end of the day’s play, Keymer leads the standings with two points from as many rounds, followed by Erigaisi with one-and-a-half points.
The chess battles resume at the Hyatt Regency on Saturday, August 9, for Day 3 of the event, with everything still wide open.
Masters – Round 2 Results:
- Karthikeyan Murali drew with Liang Awonder
- Jorden Van Foreest drew with Arjun Erigaisi
- Ray Robson defeated Vidit Gujrathi
- Nihal Sarin drew with Anish Giri
- Pranav V lost to Vincent Keymer
Challengers – Round 2 Results:
- Harshavardan drew with Aryan Chopra
- Diptayan Ghosh drew with Pranesh M
- Iniyan Pa defeated Dronavalli Harika
- Abhinandan B drew with Vaishali R
- Leon Luke Mendonca lost to Abhimanyu Puranik
