We’re into the penultimate round of the Quantbox Chennai Grandmasters 2025, and every point now carries extra weight. In round 7, Arjun Erigaisi played out a solid draw against Anish Giri, while Vidit Gujrathi suffered a setback, losing to Murali Karthikeyan.
Arjun’s chances of winning the tournament are slim - he’ll need nothing short of a miracle to catch up, but any hope begins with a win today!
Erigaisi opts for the reliable Queen’s Gambit Declined, aiming for a solid and time-tested setup.
We have a textbook isolated pawn position! Vidit holds the isolani, which grants him potential piece activity. Whether it becomes a strength or a weakness will depend on how the game unfolds.
With kings safely castled on the same side, the game is set for a strategic middlegame battle.
Erigaisi develops his bishop, harmonizing his pieces for the middlegame.
Vidit sacrifices a piece, and while the evaluation remains roughly balanced, the move injects significant excitement and tension into the game.
Erigaisi wisely returns his temporary material gain to ensure his king’s safety.
With the tense phase behind them, the game simplifies into a balanced endgame.
Vidit advances a pawn to give his king some breathing room.
With the position balanced and no clear winning chances, the game appears headed toward a draw in the near future.
The first game to finish in Round 8 ended in a draw after two hours of play.
The battle opened with a Queen’s Gambit Declined, leading to a textbook isolated pawn structure.
The middlegame featured a sharp moment when Vidit sacrificed a piece, but Erigaisi responded calmly, returning the material and steering the game into a balanced endgame.
Both players showed precise technique, leaving the points evenly split!