Team Herald
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PANJIM: IM Tologon Tegin Semetei of Kyrgyzstan surged into the sole lead with 7 points after eight rounds of the Late Shri Manohar Parrikar 3rd Goa International Open Grandmaster Chess Tournament 2025, held at the Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Indoor Stadium, Taleigao.
With two rounds to go, the competition is heating up, with GM SP Sethuraman (TN), IM Ayush Sharma (MP), and IM Alexander Slizhevsky (RUS) trailing closely behind with 6½ points each.
A tightly contested field of eight players, including Goa’s own IM Ameya Audi and IM Ethan Vaz, are in the chase with 6 points. Joining them are GM Diptayan Ghosh (RSPB), IM Aronyak Ghosh (RSPB), GM Alexei Fedorov (BLR), IM Sammed Jaykumar Shete (MAH), IM Rohith Krishna S (TN), and GM Nguyen Duc Hoa (VIE), keeping the tournament alive with their strong performances.
IM Ameya Audi claimed a vital win against FM Arjun Adireddy (TEL), while IM Ethan Vaz added another feather to his cap with a victory over IM Nitin S (TN). GM Anurag Mhamal battled to a draw against CM Madhvendra Pratap Sharma (MP) gaining half a point. Although IM Ritviz Parab faced a tough loss to FM Aravind L N Ram (TN), Goa’s top players remain firmly in contention. IM Audi and IM Vaz stand at 6 points each, with GM Mhamal at 5 points. Goa’s 5th player in the A category, Chaitanya V Gaonkar, a young rising talent, is at 2½ points.
Day seven witnessed thrilling games on the top boards. IM Tologon Tegin Semetei (KGZ) solidified his lead with a win over GM Alexei Fedorov (BLR). IM Alexander Slizhevsky (RUS) and IM Aronyak Ghosh (RSPB) drew their match, while GM S.P. Sethuraman (TN) defeated GM Sayantan Das (WB) in a critical encounter. IM Ayush Sharma (MP) triumphed over GM Mitrabha Guha (WB), keeping the race for the title wide open.
