Asian Individual 2025 R8: Can Nihal Sarin stop Bardiya Daneshvar?

by Shahid Ahmed - 15/05/2025

WGM Srija Seshadri suffered her first loss in Round 8 of Asian Individual Women 2025. WCM Bat-Erdene Mungunzul (MGL) is just a draw away from clinching Gold. Srija can still finish second and earn her place in the upcoming FIDE Women's World Cup. IM Vantika Agrawal salvaged a draw in a tough opposite color bishop endgame against GM Valentina Gunina. In the Men's event, GM Bardiya Daneshvar (IRI) defeated GM Abhimanyu Puranik to be on the verge of winning Gold. Top seed, GM Nihal Sarin defeated former Asian champion, GM Sethuraman S P. Nihal will face Bardiya in the final round. Round 9 starts today at 10 a.m. local time, 11:30 a.m. IST. Photos: Himank Ghosh

Srihari L R on the cusp of becoming India's 86th GM

IM Srihari L R will become India's 86th Grandmaster in few hours once he plays a game against his opponent GM Iniyan Pa. The result of the game is immaterial towards his final GM-norm but the important part is the game must be played. Apart from Nihal, GM S L Narayanan, Srihari, IM Harshavardhan G B, GM Karthikeyan Murali and GM Iniyan Pa have good chances to make a top ten finish. It is important to make a top ten finish to earn a place in FIDE World Cup 2025 which is heavily rumored to take place in India later this year.

IM Srihari L R is on the verge of becoming India's 86th Grandmaster

Bardiya - Abhimanyu: 1-0

GM Abhimanyu Puranik (2621) played three rated games in three different formats against GM Bardiya Daneshvar (IRI, 2621). Bardiya won two of them. The sole Classical game was at the last edition of Asian, it ended in a draw. Abhimanyu had black pieces in all three of them. This time also Abhimanyu had the black pieces.

Position after 20.f4

Black needed to play the counter-intuitive 20...Bxc3 21.Qxc3 Qd8 to continue the fight. Instead, 20...Bd6? 21.Bxf6+- gxf6 22.f5 gave White the decisive advantage and he went on to win the game.

GM Bardiya Daneshvar (IRI) on the verge of becoming Asian Individual Men 2025 champion

GM Nihal Sarin scored a hat-trick by registering a win against GM Sethuraman S P

IM Harshavardhan G B - GM Karthikeyan Murali: 0.5-0.5

GM S L Narayanan's kingside attack proved to be stronger than his opponent - GM Mukhiddin Madaminov's (UZB)

IM Srihari L R - GM Pranesh M: 0.5-0.5

GM Iniyan Pa's (pictured) attack on his opponent, GM Ramazan Zhalmakhanov's (KAZ) king was overwhelming | Photo: Shahid Ahmed

Women: Mungunzul gets the better of Srija

WGM Srija Seshadri's ambitious play did not work out against WCM Bat-Erdene Mungunzul (MGL)

IM Vantika Agrawal survived a tough opposite color bishop endgame against GM Valentina Gunina

WGM Swati Ghate had promising position against the in-form WIM Afruza Khamdamova (UZB). However, the game ended in a draw via perpetual check

IM Padmini Rout checkmated WFM Arshiya Das to move to 5.5/8

Top boards

Ceremonial first move of Round 8

Chess moms of various players

Round 8 in progress

For more Round 8 photos, please click here.

Norm chances

GM-norm: IM Srihari L R needs to play a game against GM Iniyan Pa

IM-norm: WGM Srija Seshadri needs to draw against GM Valentina Gunina

WIM-norm: WFM Arshiya Das requires a draw versus WCM Khishigbaatar Bayasgalan (MGL).

Replay Round 8 Open games

Replay Round 8 Women games

Round 8 Open results

Rd.	Bo.	No.		Name	Rtg	Pts.	Result	Pts.		Name	Rtg	No.
8	1	12	GM	Daneshvar Bardiya	2621	6	1 - 0	5	GM	Puranik Abhimanyu	2624	10
8	3	29	GM	Sethuraman S.P.	2552	5	0 - 1	5	GM	Nihal Sarin	2693	1
8	4	72	IM	Harshavardhan G B	2441	5	½ - ½	5	GM	Karthikeyan Murali	2658	4
8	5	15	GM	Narayanan S L	2598	5	1 - 0	5	GM	Madaminov Mukhiddin	2520	38
8	6	59	IM	Srihari L R	2468	5	½ - ½	5	GM	Pranesh M	2576	18
8	8	28	GM	Pranav Anand	2555	5	½ - ½	5		Huang Renjie	2491	44
8	10	3	GM	Yakubboev Nodirbek	2665	4½	1 - 0	4½	IM	Aswath S	2515	41
8	13	55	GM	Prraneeth Vuppala	2474	4½	0 - 1	4½	GM	Paravyan David	2596	16
8	14	19	GM	Iniyan Pa	2573	4½	1 - 0	4½	GM	Zhalmakhanov Ramazan	2456	67
8	16	33	GM	Raja Rithvik R	2545	4½	1 - 0	4½	FM	Yang Zilong	2326	115

Details

Standings after Round 8

Rk.	SNo		Name	FED	Rtg	Pts.	TB1	TB2	TB3
1	12	GM	Daneshvar, Bardiya	IRI	2621	7	2578	37	40,5
2	5	GM	Vokhidov, Shamsiddin	UZB	2641	6	2523	37,5	42
3	23	GM	Zemlyanskii, Ivan	FID	2563	6	2508	35	39
4	1	GM	Nihal, Sarin	IND	2693	6	2500	31,5	35
5	15	GM	Narayanan, S L	IND	2598	6	2441	27,5	30,5
6	59	IM	Srihari, L R	IND	2468	5,5	2591	35,5	37
7	72	IM	Harshavardhan, G B	IND	2441	5,5	2581	35	36,5
8	36	GM	Lobanov, Sergei	FID	2527	5,5	2531	34,5	38
9	4	GM	Karthikeyan, Murali	IND	2658	5,5	2529	38,5	42
10	19	GM	Iniyan, Pa	IND	2573	5,5	2515	35,5	39

Details

Round 9 pairings

Rd.	Bo.	No.		Name	Rtg	Pts.	Pts.		Name	Rtg	No.
9	1	1	GM	Nihal Sarin	2693	6	7	GM	Daneshvar Bardiya	2621	12
9	2	23	GM	Zemlyanskii Ivan	2563	6	6	GM	Narayanan S L	2598	15
9	4	4	GM	Karthikeyan Murali	2658	5½	5½	GM	Pranav Anand	2555	28
9	5	33	GM	Raja Rithvik R	2545	5½	5½	GM	Salem A.R. Saleh	2631	7
9	7	18	GM	Pranesh M	2576	5½	5½	GM	Dai Changren	2531	35
9	8	19	GM	Iniyan Pa	2573	5½	5½	IM	Srihari L R	2468	59
9	9	20	GM	Bai Jinshi	2572	5½	5½	IM	Harshavardhan G B	2441	72
9	11	37	GM	Makhnev Denis	2526	5	5	GM	Mendonca Leon Luke	2630	9
9	12	10	GM	Puranik Abhimanyu	2624	5	5	IM	Liyanage Ranindu Dilshan	2387	95
9	15	69	IM	Neelash Saha	2445	5	5	GM	Vetokhin Savva	2558	25

Details

Round 8 Women results

8	1	22	WCM	Mungunzul Bat-Erdene	2302	6	1 - 0	6	WGM	Srija Seshadri	2226	38
8	2	2	GM	Gunina Valentina	2425	5½	½ - ½	5½	IM	Vantika Agrawal	2377	7
8	5	21	WGM	Balabayeva Xeniya	2311	5	1 - 0	5	WGM	Nandhidhaa P V	2363	9
8	6	69	WGM	Swati Ghate	2035	5	½ - ½	5	WIM	Khamdamova Afruza	2344	14
8	11	11	IM	Padmini Rout	2359	4½	1 - 0	4½	WFM	Arshiya Das	2174	46
8	13	19	WGM	Rakshitta Ravi	2324	4½	1 - 0	4½	WFM	Mikheeva Galina	2162	47
8	14	31	WGM	Gomes Mary Ann	2258	4½	½ - ½	4½	IM	Savitha Shri B	2298	24
8	18	62	WIM	Priyanka K	2087	4	½ - ½	4	WCM	Bayasgalan Khishigbaatar	2265	28
8	21	25	WGM	Priyanka Nutakki	2277	3½	1 - 0	3½	WFM	Azali Tannaz	2118	56
8	27	41	WIM	Chitlange Sakshi	2215	3½	1 - 0	3½	WIM	Kaldarova Ayaulym	2115	59

Details

Standings after Round 8

Rk.	SNo		Name	FED	Rtg	Pts.	TB1	TB2	TB3
1	22	WCM	Mungunzul, Bat-Erdene	MGL	2302	7	2290	37	40,5
2	38	WGM	Srija, Seshadri	IND	2226	6	2348	40,5	43
3	2	GM	Gunina, Valentina	FID	2425	6	2316	35	39
4	4	IM	Song, Yuxin	CHN	2397	6	2305	38	42
5	21	WGM	Balabayeva, Xeniya	KAZ	2311	6	2291	32,5	35
6	7	IM	Vantika, Agrawal	IND	2377	6	2290	36,5	40
7	8	IM	Tokhirjonova, Gulrukhbegim	UZB	2369	6	2260	34,5	38
8	69	WGM	Swati, Ghate	IND	2035	5,5	2315	33	34,5
9	17	IM	Bodnaruk, Anastasia	FID	2332	5,5	2312	39	42,5
10	10	IM	Batkhuyag, Munguntuul	MGL	2359	5,5	2265	34,5	37

Details

Round 9 pairings

9	1	7	IM	Vantika Agrawal	2377	6	7	WCM	Mungunzul Bat-Erdene	2302	22
9	2	38	WGM	Srija Seshadri	2226	6	6	GM	Gunina Valentina	2425	2
9	6	19	WGM	Rakshitta Ravi	2324	5½	5½	IM	Padmini Rout	2359	11
9	8	16	WGM	Nurman Alua	2338	5½	5½	WGM	Swati Ghate	2035	69
9	11	9	WGM	Nandhidhaa P V	2363	5	5	WGM	Gomes Mary Ann	2258	31
9	14	24	IM	Savitha Shri B	2298	5	5	WGM	Uuriintuya Uurtsaikh	2187	45
9	16	46	WFM	Arshiya Das	2174	4½	4½	WCM	Bayasgalan Khishigbaatar	2265	28
9	18	40	WIM	Serikbay Assel	2223	4½	4½	WIM	Priyanka K	2087	62
9	19	58	WIM	Fisabilillah Ummi	2115	4½	4½	WIM	Chitlange Sakshi	2215	41
9	23	12	IM	Kamalidenova Meruert	2345	4	4	WIM	Vishwa Vasnawala	2090	61

Details

Links

Tournament Regulations

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