2nd Namma Bengaluru GM R1: Smooth start for the top seeds

by Shahid Ahmed - 10/04/2025

The top seeds had a relatively smooth start at 2nd Namma Bengaluru GM Category A (>1900) 2025. Generally GM tournaments witnesses some major upsets in the first round. That almost would have happened, if Sailesh R capitalized on his opportunity against GM Tornike Sanikidze (GEO). The top three seeds - GM Iniyan Pa, GM Karen Grigoryan (ARM) and GM Manuel Petrosyan (ARM) won their respectively games. A total of 316 players including 20 GMs, 40 IMs, 2 WGMs and 5 WIMs are taking part from 11 countries across the world in Open A. The total cash prize fund combining three categories is ₹5500000, ₹2500000 in Category A. The top three prizes are ₹450000, ₹350000 and ₹250000 along with a trophy each. Tomorrow is the first of the two double round day. Round 2 starts at 9:30 a.m. IST. Photos: Shahid Ahmed

Sailesh misses against Tornike

The average rating of the tournament is 2090 and average age is 22. The first round of the tournament witnessed a queen and knight vs two knights and bishop endgame, rook vs rook and knight, and rook vs rook and bishop endgames. That should give you an inkling about the average strength of the tournament.

The newly crowned National Rapid 2025 Champion - GM Iniyan Pa won his game

Jaidambareesh - Iniyan

Position after 33...Kh7

In a sharp position, Jaidambareesh N R (2037) needed to find precise defence. 34.Ne2 Rd2 35.Kh2 computer-like precision needed to save the game. However, in time trouble White went 34.Kh2? which dropped the pawn Qxh3+! 35.Qxh3 Rxh3+ White cannot take the rook as Rh4# threat is there. 36.Kg1 Rh5 ensuring the f-file remains blocked. 37.Re1 Rhh4 38.Ra1 a4 blocking the a-file 39.Rg5 Ne3 and GM Iniyan Pa (2578) went on to win the game.

Final moments: Jaidambareesh N R - GM Iniyan Pa | Video: ChessBase India

Final moments: Vijayalakshmi Subbaraman - Lakshmi Charan Naidu G | Video: ChessBase India

The legend IM Vijayalakshmi Subbaraman is back in action after five years and she scored a win in the first round

The second highest rated player in the field is - GM Karen H Grigoryan (ARM)

The third highest rated player of the tournament is also an Armenian GM - Manuel Petrosyan

Rohith S salvaged a draw from a lost queen endgame against GM Sandipan Chanda

Sobh - Stany

Position after 30.Bxf1

IM Amrou Sobh (EGY, 2032) decided to go for two minor pieces for his queen when it got trapped against GM Stany G A (2454). Can White hold the above position after 30.Bxf1 Qxa2 ? In the game, the IM could not and Stany won the game eventually.

GM Stany G A made a winning start against IM Amrou Sobh (EGY)

Sailesh - Tornike

Position after 35...Qa7

GM Tornike Sanikidze (GEO, 2448) made a subtle threat 35...Qa7. Sailesh R (2025) did the only thing he should not have. Find out what he did and what White needed to do to maintain his decisive advantage.

Sailesh R suffered a heartbreaking loss from a winning position

Nithik Reddy Bhavanam had a well contested draw against IM Ameya Audi

Nandish V S (pictured) - IM Hari Madhavan N B: 0.5-0.5

The highest rated woman in the field - IM Padmini Rout made a winning start

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister - D K Shivakumar made the inaugural first move

Thej Kumar and Vasanth B H made the inaugural first move in Category B (Below 2000) tournament

For more Round 1 photos, please click here.

A total of 316 players including 20 GMs, 40 IMs, 2 WGMs and 5 WIMs are taking part from 11 countries across the world in Open A (>1900). The eight-day ten round GM tournament is being organized by The Golden Aura Trust at Koramangala Indoor Stadium in Bengaluru, Karnataka from 10th to 18th April 2025. The time control of the event is 90 minutes + 30 seconds increment per move. There are no Classical round on 14th April. A Blitz Open tournament will take place on that day.

Replay Round 1 games

Round 1 results

Bo.	No.		White	Rtg	Pts.	Result	Pts.		Black	Rtg	No.
1	159		Jaidambareesh, N R	2037	0	0 - 1	0	GM	Iniyan, Pa	2578	1
2	2	GM	Grigoryan, Karen H.	2556	0	1 - 0	0	WFM	Sachi, Jain	2036	160
3	161		Medhvansh, Madeti	2035	0	0 - 1	0	GM	Petrosyan, Manuel	2544	3
4	4	GM	Pranav, Anand	2538	0	1 - 0	0		Parambrata, Sarkar	2035	162
5	163	WIM	Nimmy, A.G.	2034	0	0 - 1	0	GM	Pantsulaia, Levan	2532	5
6	6	IM	Aronyak, Ghosh	2525	0	1 - 0	0		Jain, Kushagra	2034	164
7	165		Rohith, S	2034	0	½ - ½	0	GM	Chanda, Sandipan	2485	7
8	8	IM	Ayush, Sharma	2485	0	1 - 0	0		Ayaan, Garg	2033	166
9	167		Badrinath, S.	2033	0	½ - ½	0	IM	Neelash, Saha	2460	9
10	10	GM	Savchenko, Boris	2459	0	1 - 0	0		Kolla, Bhaavan	2033	168
11	169	IM	Sobh, Amrou	2032	0	0 - 1	0	GM	Stany, G.A.	2454	11
12	12	IM	Goutham, Krishna H	2449	0	1 - 0	0		Yashad, Bambeshwar	2032	170
13	171		Sailesh, R	2025	0	0 - 1	0	GM	Sanikidze, Tornike	2448	13
14	14	IM	Nitish, Belurkar	2441	0	1 - 0	0	FM	Ayushh, Ravikumar	2023	172
15	173		Vijaya, Bhaskar B.	2022	0	0 - 1	0	IM	Vaz, Ethan	2430	15
16	16	IM	Mehar, Chinna Reddy C.H.	2418	0	1 - 0	0		Salunke, Siddhant	2020	174
17	175		Syed, Abdul Khader	2019	0	0 - 1	0	IM	Kaustuv, Kundu	2407	17
18	18	IM	Audi, Ameya	2404	0	½ - ½	0		Nithik, Reddy Bhavanam	2018	176
19	177		Debayan, Ray	2017	0	0 - 1	0	FM	Nguyen, Quoc Hy	2404	19
20	20	IM	Anuj, Shrivatri	2400	0	1 - 0	0	WFM	Bristy, Mukherjee	2015	178

Details

Standings after Round 1

Rk.	SNo		Name	sex	FED	Rtg	Club/City	Pts.	TB2	TB3	TB5
1	149		Siddhanth, Poonja		IND	2046	KAR	1	1	1,00	1
2	317		Soboleva, Anastasia	w	RUS	1792	RUS	1	1	1,00	1
3	1	GM	Iniyan, Pa		IND	2578	TN	1	0	0,00	1
4	3	GM	Petrosyan, Manuel		ARM	2544	ARM	1	0	0,00	1
5	5	GM	Pantsulaia, Levan		GEO	2532	GEO	1	0	0,00	1
6	11	GM	Stany, G.A.		IND	2454	KAR	1	0	0,00	1
7	13	GM	Sanikidze, Tornike		GEO	2448	GEO	1	0	0,00	1
8	15	IM	Vaz, Ethan		IND	2430	GOA	1	0	0,00	1
9	17	IM	Kaustuv, Kundu		IND	2407	WB	1	0	0,00	1
10	19	FM	Nguyen, Quoc Hy		VIE	2404	VIE	1	0	0,00	1
11	21	GM	Fedorov, Alexei		BLR	2396	BLR	1	0	0,00	1
12	25	IM	Sammed Jaykumar, Shete		IND	2391	MAH	1	0	0,00	1
13	27	IM	Harsh, Suresh		IND	2389	TN	1	0	0,00	1
14	29		Vignesh, B		IND	2382	TN	1	0	0,00	1
15	31	IM	Srihari, L		IND	2377	PUD	1	0	0,00	1
16	33	GM	Nguyen, Van Huy		VIE	2363	VIE	1	0	0,00	1
17	35	IM	Shahil, Dey		IND	2360	ASM	1	0	0,00	1
18	37	IM	Subhayan, Kundu		IND	2356	WB	1	0	0,00	1
19	39	IM	Padmini, Rout	w	IND	2354	ODI	1	0	0,00	1
20	41	FM	John, Veny Akkarakaran		IND	2350	KER	1	0	0,00	1

Details

Round 2 pairings

Bo.	No.		White	Rtg	Pts.	Result	Pts.		Black	Rtg	No.
1	1	GM	Iniyan, Pa	2578	1		1	FM	Aarav, Sinha	2187	84
2	85		Anadkat, Kartavya	2187	1		1	GM	Grigoryan, Karen H.	2556	2
3	3	GM	Petrosyan, Manuel	2544	1		1	IM	Saravana, Krishnan P.	2177	88
4	87		Saurabh, Anand	2179	1		1	GM	Pranav, Anand	2538	4
5	5	GM	Pantsulaia, Levan	2532	1		1		Singh, S. Vikramjit	2165	90
6	92	CM	Sherla, Prathamesh	2157	1		1	IM	Aronyak, Ghosh	2525	6
7	93	CM	Rajarishi, Karthi	2155	1		1	IM	Ayush, Sharma	2485	8
8	96		Avirat, Chauhan	2145	1		1	GM	Savchenko, Boris	2459	10
9	11	GM	Stany, G.A.	2454	1		1		Esshan, Wadhawan	2132	102
10	97	CM	Harshit, Ranjan Sahu	2142	1		1	IM	Goutham, Krishna H	2449	12
11	13	GM	Sanikidze, Tornike	2448	1		1		Jihan, Tejas Shah	2131	104
12	101	FM	Kshatriya, Nitin Vekhande	2133	1		1	IM	Nitish, Belurkar	2441	14
13	15	IM	Vaz, Ethan	2430	1		1	CM	Aarit, Kapil	2123	106
14	105		Koustuv, Dash	2131	1		1	IM	Mehar, Chinna Reddy C.H.	2418	16
15	17	IM	Kaustuv, Kundu	2407	1		1		Majumder, Shrayan	2111	112
16	19	FM	Nguyen, Quoc Hy	2404	1		1	FM	Aakash, G	2100	116
17	113	WIM	Gunawardhana, Devindya Oshini	2110	1		1	IM	Anuj, Shrivatri	2400	20
18	21	GM	Fedorov, Alexei	2396	1		1	CM	Vivaan, Vijay Saraogi	2098	118
19	115	WFM	Saranya, J	2102	1		1	GM	Deepan, Chakkravarthy J.	2394	22
20	119	CM	Kumaresh, A	2097	1		1	IM	Panda, Sambit	2391	24

Details

Links

Official site

Tournament Regulations

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