62nd National Championship R7: Deep, Ayush and Harsh join the leaders' pack

by Shahid Ahmed - 27/09/2025

The top six boards ended in a draw in 31 moves or less at 62nd National Championship 2025 Round 7. It allowed GM Deep Sengupta (PSPB), GM-elect IM Ayush Sharma (RSPB) and IM Harsh Suresh (TN) to catch up. Deep defeated IM Sidhant Mohapatra (RSPB) who went wrong in the double rook and knight endgame. Deep's passed pawn was superior which helped him earn the victory. Ayush thwarted IM Manish Anto Cristiano F's (TN) ambitious knight sacrifice. Harsh capitalized on IM Subhayan Kundu's (RSPB) late mistake ina rook and many pawns endgame. Seven players including the previous day leaders - GM Sasikiran Krishan (PSPB), IM Aronyak Ghosh (RSPB), IM Ajay Santhosh Parvathareddy (UP) and GM Abhijeet Gupta (PSPB) are now at 6/7 each. Round 8 starts tomorrow at 3:30 p.m. IST. Photos: Shahid Ahmed

Top six draw in 31 moves or less; Surendran, Manas, Shaunak and Sravyasree beat GMs

N Surendran (TN) and Manas Gaikwad (MAH) defeated GM Prraneeth Vuppala (TN) and GM Sriram Jha (LIC) respectively. The newly crowned National Under-13 Open champion, Shaunak Badole (MAH) and Sravyasree Bheemarasetty (AP) won against GM Sayantan Das (RSPB) and GM Vignesh N R (RSPB) respectively. The number of DGT live boards in this round was increased from 43 to 55.

GM Abhijeet Gupta - GM Sasikiran Krishnan | Video: ChessBase India

GM Abhijeet Gupta (PSPB) - GM Sasikiran Krishnan (PSPB): 0.5-0.5

IM Aronyak Ghosh (RSPB) and IM Ajay Santhosh Parvathareddy (UP) had a short draw in 20 moves

GM Iniyan Pa (TN) - IM Goutham Krishna H (KER, pictured): 0.5-0.5

IM Kashish Manoj Jain (MAH) - GM Surya Sekhar Ganguly (PSPB): 0.5-0.5

GM Sethuraman S P (PSPB) - GM Deepan Chakkravarthy (RSPB): 0.5-0.5

GM Lalit Rohit (PSPB) - IM Ravi Teja S (RSPB): 0.5-0.5

Sidhant - Deep

Position after 39.e6??

IM Sidhant Mohapatra (ODI, 2384) blundered 39.e6?? White had to attack the d2-pawn immediately 39.Ra2 Rf3+ 40.Kg2 Rd3 would have kept the game going. Instead, 39.e6?? shifted things in GM Deep Sengupta's (PSPB, 2490) favor. 39...Nf5! to prevent e7 40.Rd7 Rc1 41.Ra2 Rxd1 42.g4 Rh1 43.Raxd2 Rxh2+ 44.Kg1 Rxd2 45.Rxd2 Rg3+ 46.Kh2 Rxg4 47.Rd8+ Kh7 48.Rf8 Rxf4 and Black won.

IM Sidhant Mohapatra - GM Deep Sengupta | Video: ChessBase India

The former Commonwealth Champion and multi-time Hastings Masters winner, GM Deep Sengupta (PSPB) got the better of IM Sidhant Mohapatra (ODI)

Manish - Ayush

Position after 28.e4?

IM Manish Anto Cristiano F's (TN, 2368) ambitious knight sacrifice 28.e4? to gain some initiative and launch an attack on the black king did not work out so well. 28...bxc3 29.exf5 Rc7 and GM-elect IM Ayush Sharma (RSPB, 2457) went on to win the game.

IM Manish Anto Cristiano F - IM Ayush Sharma | Video: ChessBase India

GM-elect IM Ayush Sharma (RSPB) thwarted IM Manish Anto Cristiano F's (TN) attempts to stir up trouble and joined the leaders

Subhayan - Harsh

Position after 61...Kb7

After a regular exchange of pieces, the game reached to a rook and many pawns endgame on move no.27. What is the correct way for White to continue the game in the above position? IM Subhayan Kundu (RSPB, 2352) chose 62.c5?? bxc5-+ gave IM Harsh Suresh (TN, 2443) a decisive advantage and won the game in ten more moves.

IM Subhayan Kundu - IM Harsh Suresh | Video: ChessBase India

IM Harsh Suresh (TN) won against IM Subhayan Kundu (RSPB) to become one of the seven leaders 6/7

IM Nitin S (RSPB, pictured) - GM S Rohith Krishna (TN): 0.5-0.5

FM Ankit Ray (WB) - GM Srihari L R (TN): 0.5-0.5

Prraneeth - Surendran

Position after 38.Rxa6??

GM Prraneeth Vuppala (TEL, 2475) made a big mistake when he took the a6-pawn 38.Rxa6?? Find out the winning continuation which N Surendran (TN, 2158) executed in the game.

N Surendran (TN) got the better of GM Prraneeth Vuppala (TEL)

Paras Dilip Bhoir (MAH) played a 114-move draw against IM Bala Chandra Prasad Dhulipalla (AP)

Esshan Wadhawan (DEL) drew against IM Ameya Audi (Goa) after a 108-move-long battle

Interview with IM Aaditya Dhingra | Video: ChessBase India

IM Ritviz Parab (Goa) - Vedant Garg (CHAN): 0.5-0.5

IM Viani Antonio Dcunha (KAR) - Arshpreet Singh (HAR): 0.5-0.5

Manas Gaikwad (MAH) - GM Sriram Jha (LIC): 1-0

Ravi Naidu, Chairperson of Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh and Ravi Krishna, IPS Officer, made the ceremonial first move of Round 7

Round 8 in progress

For more Round 7 photos, please click at the following links - part 1 and 2

Replay Round 7 games

Round 7 results

Bo.		White	Gr	Rtg	Club/City	Pts.	Result	Pts.		Black	Gr	Rtg	Club/City
1	GM	Gupta Abhijeet	7	2511	PSPB	5½	½ - ½	5½	GM	Sasikiran Krishnan	4	2524	PSPB
2	IM	Aronyak Ghosh	6	2514	RSPB	5½	½ - ½	5½	FM	Ajay Santhosh Parvathareddy	11	2482	UP
3	GM	Iniyan Pa	1	2599	TN	5	½ - ½	5	IM	Goutham Krishna H	21	2418	KL
4	IM	Jain Kashish Manoj	25	2398	MH	5	½ - ½	5	GM	Ganguly Surya Shekhar	2	2573	PSPB
5	GM	Sethuraman S.P.	3	2572	PSPB	5	½ - ½	5	GM	Deepan Chakkravarthy J.	24	2407	RSPB
6	GM	Lalit Babu M R	9	2502	AP	5	½ - ½	5	IM	Ravi Teja S.	23	2410	AP
7	IM	Sidhant Mohapatra	26	2384	RSPB	5	0 - 1	5	GM	Sengupta Deep	10	2490	PSPB
8	IM	Manish Anto Cristiano F	30	2368	TN	5	0 - 1	5	IM	Ayush Sharma	14	2457	RSPB
9	IM	Subhayan Kundu	34	2352	RSPB	5	0 - 1	5	IM	Harsh Suresh	16	2443	TN
10	IM	Nitin S.	38	2316	RSPB	5	½ - ½	4½	IM	Rohith Krishna S	8	2503	TN

Details

Standings after Round 7

Rk.	SNo		Name	Gr	FED	Rtg	Club/City	Pts.	TB1	TB2	TB3	TB5	TB6
1	4	GM	Sasikiran Krishnan	4	IND	2524	PSPB	6	31,5	35	29	5	3
2	6	IM	Aronyak Ghosh	6	IND	2514	RSPB	6	29,5	33	27	5	3
3	11	FM	Ajay Santhosh Parvathareddy	11	IND	2482	UP	6	29	32,5	27,5	5	2
4	14	IM	Ayush Sharma	14	IND	2457	RSPB	6	28	31,5	27,3	5	4
5	7	GM	Gupta Abhijeet	7	IND	2511	PSPB	6	28	30	24,8	5	2
6	10	GM	Sengupta Deep	10	IND	2490	PSPB	6	27	30	25,3	5	3
7	16	IM	Harsh Suresh	16	IND	2443	TN	6	26,5	27,5	23,8	5	2
8	26	IM	Aaditya Dhingra	396	IND	2391	HR	5,5	31	34	25,3	5	4
9	9	GM	Lalit Babu M R	9	IND	2502	AP	5,5	30	33,5	25,3	4	2
10	2	GM	Ganguly Surya Shekhar	2	IND	2573	PSPB	5,5	29,5	33	24,8	4	2

Details

Round 8 pairings

Bo.		White	Gr	Rtg	Club/City	Pts.	Result	Pts.		Black	Gr	Rtg	Club/City
1	GM	Sasikiran Krishnan	4	2524	PSPB	6		6	GM	Sengupta Deep	10	2490	PSPB
2	IM	Ayush Sharma	14	2457	RSPB	6		6	IM	Aronyak Ghosh	6	2514	RSPB
3	FM	Ajay Santhosh Parvathareddy	11	2482	UP	6		6	GM	Gupta Abhijeet	7	2511	PSPB
4	IM	Harsh Suresh	16	2443	TN	6		5½	GM	Iniyan Pa	1	2599	TN
5	GM	Ganguly Surya Shekhar	2	2573	PSPB	5½		5½	IM	Nitin S.	38	2316	RSPB
6	IM	Utsab Chatterjee	40	2299	RSPB	5½		5½	GM	Sethuraman S.P.	3	2572	PSPB
7	IM	Aaditya Dhingra	396	2391	HR	5½		5½	GM	Lalit Babu M R	9	2502	AP
8	IM	Goutham Krishna H	21	2418	KL	5½		5½	CM	Harshit Ranjan Sahu	46	2258	OR
9	IM	Ravi Teja S.	23	2410	AP	5½		5½		Gaikwad Manas	79	2112	MH
10	GM	Deepan Chakkravarthy J.	24	2407	RSPB	5½		5½		Ayaan Garg	89	2091	CH

Details

Links

Andhra Chess Association

Vignan's Foundation for Science, Technology and Research (Deemed to be University)

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