Exciting Day 2 at the 21st Delhi International Open Grandmasters Chess Tournament
Day 2 Highlights of the Chess Tournament
The 21st Delhi International Open Grandmasters Chess Tournament 2025 witnessed an action-packed Day 2 on June 8 at Tivoli Gardens, Chattarpur, featuring both Rounds 2 and 3.
With two classical-format matches on the agenda, players' endurance and accuracy were crucial as early frontrunners began to emerge, as reported by the Delhi GM Open.
India's leading player, GM Narayanan S L (2600), maintained his perfect streak, achieving a score of 3/3 after defeating Arnav Agarwal (2096) in Round 3. He is joined at the top by GM Deepan Chakkravarthy (2410), GM Vitaly Sivuk (2522), GM Mihail Nikitenko (2520), GM Karthik Venkataraman (2550), GM Abhijeet Gupta (2538), and IM Arsen Davtyan (2402), all of whom have secured three victories in three rounds. The leaderboard is tightly contested as the tournament heads into Day 3.
IM Aronyak Ghosh (2510) also kept his perfect record intact with a solid win over Guru Prakash, staying in contention with the leading players in this highly competitive event.
India's rising stars also made their mark. Vairaj Sogerwal, buoyed by his Round 1 upset against GM Karen H Grigoryan, continued to impress against tougher opponents. Singh Arshpreet (2075) improved to 2/3 with another strong performance, while FM J Ramakrishna (2036) and CM Akila Kavinda (2010) also reached 2 points.
In a surprising turn, Sai Kuchibhotla (2014) managed to hold GM Tornike Sanikidse (2425) to a draw, showcasing the increasing caliber of India's grassroots chess talent.
Now in its 21st year, the Delhi GM Open has established itself as Asia's largest classical-format open chess tournament. With over 2,500 participants from more than 20 countries, including 24 Grandmasters, and a record prize pool of Rs 1.21 crore, the event continues to provide a platform for India's brightest chess talents to compete against international heavyweights.
Organized by the All India Chess Federation, this tournament is a key event in India's chess calendar and a true celebration of the sport's growing popularity.