New Delhi, June 12 (IANS) Belarusian Grandmaster Mihail Nikitenko, playing whites, downed Georgian GM Luka Paichadze in Round 8 of the 21st Delhi International Open Grandmasters Chess Tournament (Delhi GM Open) 2025 to join Abhijeet Gupta in a joint-lead at the top of the leaderboard. With only two rounds remaining in Category A, both Nikitenko and Gupta spearhead the competition with seven points apiece.

The 21st Delhi GM Open continues to be Asia’s premier open chess tournament, drawing over 2,500 players from more than 20 countries, including 24 Grandmasters. Organised under the aegis of the All India Chess Federation, the event boasts a record prize pool of Rs 1.21 crore and remains a cornerstone of India’s chess calendar.

Hitherto the sole leader, Gupta, three-time former champion of the Delhi GM Open–a record unmatched thus far in the competition’s history–clashed with Armenian GM Manuel Petrosyan on Wednesday at the top board, aiming to add to his tally. However, the gritty contest, which saw the pair exchange blows frequently in an attempt to gain the upper hand, resulted in a draw, adding half a point to their respective tallies.

At the vanguard of the chasing party, GM SL Narayan–the tournament’s highest-rated player–also drew with International Master Neelash Saha of India, ensuring that the pair remain within touching distance of the joint leaders heading into the final two rounds. Indian IM Aronyak Ghosh and Swedish GM Vitaly Sivuk also played out a draw, while GM Diptayan Ghosh defeated GM Boris Savchenko of Russia, with all three ending Round 8 with six and a half points on board, just half shy of the Gupta and Nikitenko.

Joining the chasing pack were Grandmasters Aditya S Samant, Mamikon Gharibyan (Armenia), and Aleksej Aleksandrov (Belarus), each of whom won their respective matches in Round 8. GMs Venkataraman Kartik, Nguyen Doc Hoa (Vietnam), and MR Venkatesh also earned victories on the day, but remained a point or more adrift of the top of the table.

Meanwhile, Wednesday also saw the continuation of Category C, comprising 1,250 participants, competing for a prize pool of INR 35 lakhs. The section will conclude on Saturday, June 14, with the winner claiming INR 4 lakhs.

–IANS

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