New Delhi, June 13 (IANS) Indian Grandmaster Abhijeet Gupta surged into sole lead at the 21st Delhi International Open Grandmasters Chess Tournament (Delhi GM Open) 2025 after a clinical Round 9 victory over Belarusian GM Mihail Nikitenko.

With the win, Gupta now sits atop the leaderboard with eight points from nine rounds, positioning himself as the frontrunner for the championship ahead of the final round.

In the marquee clash of the day, Gupta, playing white, outmanoeuvred co-leader Nikitenko in a sharp encounter that further cemented his reputation as one of the tournament’s most consistent performers. The result pushes Nikitenko into the chasing pack with nine points.

Among the key matchups, Armenian GM Mamikon Gharibyan and Indian GM SL Narayanan played out a draw, taking both to 7 points each. Vietnamese GM Nguyen Van Huy held India’s GM Diptayan Ghosh to a draw, with both also moving to seven points. Swedish GM Vitaly Sivuk drew with IM Nitin S to remain in the tightly packed seven-point group.

Meanwhile, GM Aditya S Samant scored a crucial win over Belarusian GM Aleksej Aleksandrov, moving to 7.5 points. Joining him in second place is IM Aronyak Ghosh, who defeated IM Sharnarthi Viresh to also climb to 7.5 points. The duo now trail sole leader Abhijeet Gupta by just half a point heading into the final round.

Further down the standings, players like GM Luka Paichadze, IM Manish Anto Cristiano F, and GM Deepan Chakkravarthy also notched up important victories to stay in the top half of the table.

The tournament, organised under the aegis of the All India Chess Federation, features over 2,500 participants from more than 20 countries, including 24 Grandmasters, and boasts a record prize pool of Rs 1.21 crore. It remains a flagship event in the Indian and Asian chess circuits.

Category C, featuring 1,250 players, also nears its climax, with the final round scheduled for Saturday. A total of Rs 35 lakh is up for grabs in this section, with the winner taking home Rs 4 lakh.

With only one round left to play, the stage is set for a thrilling finale where Abhijeet Gupta will look to convert his lead into a historic fourth Delhi GM Open title – while challengers Samant and Ghosh prepare to stake their final claim.

–IANS

bc/ab