Asian Individual 2025 R1: Paulo Bersamina holds Nihal Sarin to a draw

by Shahid Ahmed - 08/05/2025

Asian Individual Open and Women Chess Championship is back after skipping the previous edition in 2024. Why it did not take place or what happens to the qualification spots of that missing edition, is anybody's guess. GM Nihal Sarin is the top seed in the Men section. He was held to a draw by IM Paulo Bersamina (PHI) in the first round. IM Ameya Audi also shared the point with GM Abhimanyu Puranik. The reigning National Classical and Rapid Champions - GM Karthikeyan Venkataraman and GM Iniyan Pa made a winning start. In the Women's event, IM Vantika Agrawal, WGM Rakshitta Ravi and WGM Priyanka Nutakki scored a victory among the top Indians. Round 2 starts today at 3 p.m. local time, 4:30 p.m. IST. Photo: Hossam El Baz / Asian Chess Federation

Vishwa Vasnawala shares the point with Padmini Rout

The first round witnessed several upsets. Gone are the days when the rating favorites are the favorite to win their first round games. The FIDE Women's World Cup 2023 winner, GM Aleksandra Goryachkina is playing in the 'Men section'. She defeated IM Prathamesh Mokal. The total prize fund is US$ 80000 combining Classical and Blitz events for both Men and Women. The top three prizes in Men are US$ 10000, 8000 and 6000, for Women they are US$ 7000, 6000 and 5000 respectively. Top ten in Men and top two in Women will qualify to their respective World Cup, slated to take place this year.

Paulo - Nihal

Position after 46.g3

GM Nihal Sarin (2693) proceeded with the obvious break 46...a4 47.Rxa4 Rxa4 48.bxa4 Rxb2+ 49.Nxb2 c4 50.Nxc4+ Kc5 Black is making an attempt to storm his king in supporting the passed d-pawn's promotion 51.Nb2 Kb4 52.Kg2 Kc3 53.Nd1+ Kc2 54.Nf2 d3 55.a5 Nc5 56.f4 d2 57.e5 fxe5 58.fxe5 Nd3 soon both sides promoted a queen and draw became the only outcome.

IM Paulo Bersamina (PHI) held the top seed GM Nihal Sarin to a draw | Photo: Hossam El Baz

IM Ameya Audi (pictured) held GM Abhimanyu Puranik to a draw | Photo: Shahid Ahmed

Pranesh - Ranindu

Position after 40...Rf8??

Find out the winning combination which GM Pranesh M (2576) played in the game against IM Ranindu Dilshan Liyanage (SRI, 2387).

GM Pranesh M made a winning start against IM Ranindu Dilshan Liyanage (SRI) | Photo: Shahid Ahmed

IM Senthil Maran K (pictured) - GM Aditya Mittal: 0.5-0.5 | Photo: Aditya Sur Roy

WGM Gulmira Dauletova (KAZ), Technical Delegate, made the first move on Women's top board | Photo: Hossam El Baz

WIM Vishwa Vasnawala (pictured) drew with IM Padmini Rout

Round 1 Open in progress | Photo: Hossam El Baz

Round 1 Women in progress | Photo: Hossam El Baz

Replay Round 1 Open games

Replay Round 1 Women games

Round 1 Open results

Rd.	Bo.	No.		Name	Rtg	Result		Name	Rtg	No.
1	1	78	IM	Bersamina Paulo	2426	½ - ½	GM	Nihal Sarin	2693	1
1	4	4	GM	Karthikeyan Murali	2658	1 - 0		Cao Qingfeng	2420	81
1	9	86	IM	Atakhan Abtin	2410	½ - ½	GM	Mendonca Leon Luke	2630	9
1	10	10	GM	Puranik Abhimanyu	2624	½ - ½	IM	Audi Ameya	2408	87
1	13	90	IM	Garcia Jan Emmanuel	2403	1 - 0	GM	Pranav V	2621	13
1	15	92	IM	Arfan Aditya Bagus	2402	½ - ½	GM	Narayanan S L	2598	15
1	17	94	IM	Bai Adelard	2393	½ - ½	GM	Gupta Abhijeet	2577	17
1	18	18	GM	Pranesh M	2576	1 - 0	IM	Liyanage Ranindu Dilshan	2387	95
1	19	96	FM	Omonov Asrorjon	2387	0 - 1	GM	Iniyan Pa	2573	19
1	21	98	IM	Aradhya Garg	2383	0 - 1	GM	Ganguly Surya Shekhar	2569	21

Details

Standings after Round 1

Rk.	SNo		Name	FED	Rtg	Pts.
1	2	GM	Tabatabaei, M. Amin	IRI	2670	1
2	4	GM	Karthikeyan, Murali	IND	2658	1
3	5	GM	Vokhidov, Shamsiddin	UZB	2641	1
4	7	GM	Salem, A.R. Saleh	UAE	2631	1
5	11	GM	Xu, Xiangyu	CHN	2623	1
6	12	GM	Daneshvar, Bardiya	IRI	2621	1
7	16	GM	Paravyan, David	FID	2596	1
8	18	GM	Pranesh, M	IND	2576	1
9	19	GM	Iniyan, Pa	IND	2573	1
10	21	GM	Ganguly, Surya Shekhar	IND	2569	1

Details

Round 2 pairings

Rd.	Bo.	No.		Name	Rtg	Pts.	Pts.		Name	Rtg	No.
2	1	58	IM	Ilamparthi A R	2469	1	1	GM	Tabatabaei M. Amin	2670	2
2	2	60	IM	Lou Yiping	2467	1	1	GM	Karthikeyan Murali	2658	4
2	4	7	GM	Salem A.R. Saleh	2631	1	1	IM	Srihari L R	2468	59
2	8	66		Kong Xiangrui	2461	1	1	GM	Pranesh M	2576	18
2	9	19	GM	Iniyan Pa	2573	1	1	IM	Wang Shixu B	2462	63
2	10	21	GM	Ganguly Surya Shekhar	2569	1	1	IM	Begmuratov Khumoyun	2461	65
2	11	68	IM	Mahdavi Reza	2445	1	1	GM	Karthik Venkataraman	2565	22
2	14	28	GM	Pranav Anand	2555	1	1		Meng Yihan	2443	71
2	15	72	IM	Harshavardhan G B	2441	1	1	GM	Sethuraman S.P.	2552	29
2	19	74		Jiang Haochen	2439	1	1	IM	Aswath S	2515	41

Details

Round 1 Women results

1	7	57		Jiang Tianyu	2118	0 - 1	IM	Vantika Agrawal	2377	7
1	9	59	WIM	Kaldarova Ayaulym	2115	½ - ½	WGM	Nandhidhaa P V	2363	9
1	11	61	WIM	Vishwa Vasnawala	2090	½ - ½	IM	Padmini Rout	2359	11
1	12	12	IM	Kamalidenova Meruert	2345	1 - 0	WIM	Priyanka K	2087	62
1	19	69	WGM	Swati Ghate	2035	0 - 1	WGM	Rakshitta Ravi	2324	19
1	20	20	WGM	Frayna Janelle Mae	2314	1 - 0	WGM	Kiran Manisha Mohanty	2031	70
1	21	71		Arya G Mallar	2014	0 - 1	WGM	Balabayeva Xeniya	2311	21
1	24	24	IM	Savitha Shri B	2298	0 - 1	WCM	Khalilova Madinabonu	1987	74
1	25	75	WIM	Galas Bernadette	1984	0 - 1	WGM	Priyanka Nutakki	2277	25
1	29	79	WFM	Pragnya H G	1929	½ - ½	WIM	Latifah Laysa	2262	29

Details

Standings after Round 1

Rk.	SNo		Name	FED	Rtg	Pts.
1	2	GM	Gunina, Valentina	FID	2425	1
2	4	IM	Song, Yuxin	CHN	2397	1
3	5	IM	Pham, Le Thao Nguyen	VIE	2388	1
4	6	IM	Aulia, Medina Warda	INA	2377	1
5	7	IM	Vantika, Agrawal	IND	2377	1
6	10	IM	Batkhuyag, Munguntuul	MGL	2359	1
7	12	IM	Kamalidenova, Meruert	KAZ	2345	1
8	14	WIM	Khamdamova, Afruza	UZB	2344	1
9	16	WGM	Nurman, Alua	KAZ	2338	1
10	17	IM	Bodnaruk, Anastasia	FID	2332	1

Details

Round 2 pairings

2	3	5	IM	Pham Le Thao Nguyen	2388	1	1	WGM	Srija Seshadri	2226	38
2	5	7	IM	Vantika Agrawal	2377	1	1	WIM	Serikbay Assel	2223	40
2	8	41	WIM	Chitlange Sakshi	2215	1	1	WIM	Khamdamova Afruza	2344	14
2	12	19	WGM	Rakshitta Ravi	2324	1	1	WFM	Arshiya Das	2174	46
2	14	21	WGM	Balabayeva Xeniya	2311	1	1	IM	Mohota Nisha	2161	48
2	16	25	WGM	Priyanka Nutakki	2277	1	1	WGM	Rouda Essa Alserkal	2147	50
2	19	31	WGM	Gomes Mary Ann	2258	1	1	WCM	Buyankhishig Batpelden	2081	63
2	23	9	WGM	Nandhidhaa P V	2363	½	½	WFM	Dorokhina Elizaveta	2135	53
2	24	11	IM	Padmini Rout	2359	½	½	WIM	Kaldarova Ayaulym	2115	59
2	25	15	WGM	Alinasab Mobina	2342	½	½	WIM	Vishwa Vasnawala	2090	61

Details

Links

Tournament Regulations

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