Team Herald
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PANJIM: IM Alexander Slizhevsky (RUS) and IM Semetei Tologon Tegin (KGZ) lead the 3rd Goa International Open Grandmaster Chess Tournament 2025, with a perfect score of 5 points after five rounds. The event is being held at the Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Indoor Stadium, organised by the Goa Chess Association under the aegis of the All India Chess Federation (AICF).
Close behind with 4.5 points each are GM Alexei Fedorov (BLR) and GM Sayantan Das (WB), while 15 players, including Goa’s IM Ethan Vaz (4 points), are vying for contention in a competitive field.
The highlight of the day was Slizhevsky’s victory over GM Sethuraman S.P., keeping him in the joint lead. Tologon Tegin also secured an important win against IM Nitin S. GM Alexei Fedorov defeated GM Siddharth Jagadeesh (SGP) to remain in the chase, while FM Nguyen Quoc Hy held GM Diptayan Ghosh to a draw. GM Sayantan Das’s win over IM Saravana Krishnan placed him firmly in the leading pack.
Goan players delivered notable performances on Day 4. Ethan Vaz held IM Aronyak Ghosh (RSPB) to a draw, maintaining 4 points. GM Anurag Mhamal and IM Ameya Audi registered draws and wins, respectively, while IM Ritviz Parab defeated WCM Charvi A., leaving all three local players with 3.5 points each.