Grandmasters Arjun Erigaisi, Vidit Gujrathi to headline Chennai Grand Masters

India’s most prestigious classical chess match will characteristic 20 gamers from throughout the Masters and Challengers classes.

The newest version can have a ₹1 crore prize pool as opponents chase FIDE Circuit factors, that are important for qualifying for subsequent 12 months’s Candidates Tournament.

Organised by MGD1 and sponsored by Quantbox, the match will likely be break up into two classes: Masters and Challengers.

Besides Erigaisi, Gujrathi and Giri, the Masters area will comprise Jorden Van Foreest, Liang Awonder, Vincent Keymer, Ray Robson, Vladimir Fedoseev, and Pranav V, who steps up after successful the Challengers in 2024.

“Playing such a high-stakes tournament at home is always special. As the top-rated player here, I know the expectations are high, but the field this year is extremely competitive, and every game will demand my absolute best,” Erigaisi mentioned.

The Challengers class, launched final 12 months, will characteristic Karthikeyan Murali, Leon Mendonca, Vaishali R, Harika Dronavalli, Abhimanyu Puranik, Aryan Chopra, Adhiban Baskaran, Iniyan P, Diptayan Ghosh, and Pranesh M.

The Masters champion will take dwelling Rs 25 lakh, whereas the second and third place participant will get richer by Rs 15 lakh and Rs 10 lakh , respectively.

The Challengers’ winner will obtain Rs 7 lakh and a assured place within the 2026 Masters. The match additionally carries FIDE Circuit factors, with the winner incomes 24.5 factors in the direction of the 2026 Candidates qualification.

In the case of joint winners, every will obtain 22.3 factors, whereas second and third place finishers will earn 17.8 and 15.6 factors, respectively.