Chennai Grand Masters 2025: 9 Grand Masters who are set to feature this season
Chennai is gearing up for what promises to be one of the most exciting chess spectacles of the year. The Quantbox Chennai Grand Masters 2025, scheduled for August, will transform the city into a battleground for some of the world's finest chess minds.
With backing from MGD1 and strong support from both the Tamil Nadu Government and the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu (SDAT), this tournament represents the pinnacle of Indian chess competition.
The stakes couldn't be higher with a ₹1 crore prize pool and two high-caliber sections, Masters and Challengers; this is one of India’s premier chess events. Here are the nine confirmed players poised to make a significant impact:
Masters Section:
#1 Arjun Erigaisi
Arjun Erigaisi achieved a historic milestone in December 2024 by crossing the 2800 Elo rating mark, becoming only the second Indian after Viswanathan Anand to do so. With a peak rating of 2801, he is currently ranked World No. 4.
#2 Vidit Gujrathi
Vidit Gujrathi clinched victory at the FIDE Grand Swiss 2023, earning a spot in the 2024 Candidates Tournament. He also played a pivotal role in India's triumph at the 2024 Chess Olympiad in Budapest, scoring 7.5 points out of 10 games.
#3 Nihal Sarin
Nihal Sarin, known for his speed chess prowess, set a new all-time Lichess bullet rating record of 3441 in early 2025.
But don't let that fool you into thinking he's just a blitz specialist—his recent victory at the Georgy Agzamov Memorial 2025 demonstrates he's equally dangerous in classical time controls.
#4 Anish Giri
Anish Giri achieved a significant milestone by winning the Tata Steel Masters in 2023, marking his first victory at this prestigious tournament after five previous runner-up finishes.
Although he lost the tiebreaks against Wei Yi in 2024 after both players tied for first place, Giri is a consistent top 10 player worldwide, who will have gathered incredibly valuable big game experience by coming to Chennai.
#5 Vincent Keymer
The chess world is still abuzz from Vincent Keymer's early 2025 run at the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam in Weissenhaus. Edifying Carlsen and Caruana to the title and 200,000 was a chess player's dream. He became Germany's youngest grandmaster at the age of 14, and he embodies a new generation that does not share a textbook definition of fear.
Challengers Section
#6 Leon Luke Mendonca
Leon Luke Mendonca won the Tata Steel Challengers Tournament in 2024, securing a spot in the Masters section for 2025. He became a Grandmaster in January 2021 at the age of 14 years and 9 months.
#7 Dronavalli Harika
Dronavalli Harika has won three bronze medals in the Women's World Chess Championship (2012, 2015, 2017) and was part of the gold-winning women's team at the 45th Chess Olympiad in 2024. She was awarded the Padma Shri in 2019 for her contributions to Indian chess.
#8 B. Adhiban
Some players are known for their positional understanding, others for their endgame technique. B. Adhiban has built his reputation on pure attacking chess. The 2008 World Under-16 Champion and 2009 Indian Champion peaked at an impressive 2701 rating in April 2019, and his aggressive style promises fireworks in Chennai.
#9 R. Vaishali
R. Vaishali's qualification for the 2024 Women's Candidates Tournament marked a career-defining moment, but her contributions to India's historic 2024 Chess Olympiad gold medal victory in Budapest truly showcased her championship character. As part of that golden team, she helped write one of the most memorable chapters in Indian chess history.