Grand Swiss 2025 R9: Firouzja, Keymer and Giri join Bluebaum in the lead

by Shahid Ahmed - 14/09/2025

GM Nihal Sarin started well against GM Alireza Firouzja (FRA) in Round 9 of FIDE Grand Swiss 2025. However, he was unable to maintain the intensity of his attack and eventually succumbed. GM Vincent Keymer (GER) and GM Anish Giri (NED) scored victories over GM Parham Maghsoodloo (IRI) and GM Jorden van Foreest (NED). GM Matthias Bluebaum (GER) drew against GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov (UZB). Thus, Firouzja, Keymer and Giri joined Bluebaum in the lead 6.5/9. GM Arjun Erigaisi won against GM Samuel Sevian (USA) to move to 6/9, same as Nihal. They are at a half point behind the leaders' pack. In the Women's event, GM R Vaishali drew with IM Yuxin Song (CHN). Vaishali is also trailing the sole leader, GM Kateryna Lagno by a half point at 6.5/9. Kateryna escaped disaster against GM Bibisara Assaubayeva (KAZ). Round 10 starts today at 3 p.m. local time, 3:30 p.m. IST. Photos: Aditya Sur Roy

Arjun and Nihal in pursuit

Nihal - Firouzja: 0-1

GM Nihal Sarin (2693) has played plenty of games against the World no.8, GM Alireza Firouzja (FRA, 2754) in the faster formats. However, when it comes to Classical rated games, they played only one nearly a decade ago at World Under-12 Championship in 2015. It had ended in a draw.

Position after 16.Ba3

Nihal played true to his style and offered his knight to disloged the king from the center 16.Ba3!? Black accepted it Qxg5 17.f4 instead, Computer recommends to give a check first 18.Nd6+ forcing the king to move to d7 18...Kd7 19.f4 Qf6 20.f5 gxf5 21.Bxd5 and the outcome could have been different. 17...Qf6 18.Qe2 Nde7 19.g4? did not accelerate the attack the way White wanted. The attack fizzled out, Black equalized eventually and seized his opportunity in the double rook and minor piece endgame to win the game.

GM Nihal Sariin lost the game and lead to GM Alireza Firouzja (FRA)

GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov (UZB) - GM Matthias Bluebaum (GER): 0.5-0.5

GM Vincent Keymer (GER) handled a sharp position better than his opponent, GM Parham Maghsoodloo (IRI), won the game and got in the lead

Giri - Jorden

Position after 31.Bf1

31...Bxf1 32.Kxf1 Nc2?? instead 32...Nf3 33.Ke2 Nxh2 or 33.Kg2 Ne1+ is fine for Black. 33.b5+- Ne3+ 34.Ke2 Nc4 35.Bc3 Na3 36.Bxe5 Nxb5 37.Kd3 a6 38.Bd4 Kf7 39.Bxb6 and White went on to win the endgame comfotably.

GM Anish Giri (NED) defeated GM Jorden van Foreest (NED) second time in consecutive months, this one got him in the leaders' pack

GM Abhimanyu Mishra (USA) defended a pawn down same color bishop endgame which was the majority of the game against GM Hans Niemann (USA) in a 104-move long battle

GM R Praggnanandhaa's all out attack did not work out against GM Awonder Liang (USA)

Arjun - Sevian: 1-0

World no.5, GM Arjun Erigaisi (2771) faced GM Samuel Sevian (USA, 2692) for the first time in a Classical rated game at the same event in the previous edition. Arjun won that encounter. Their next Classical battle in the following year ended in a draw in Armenia.

Position after 35.Qf4

35...g5 36.Qxf7+ Kh8 would have kept the game going. Instead, Black made the mistake 35...Kh8?? 36.Ne5 threatening to capture the f7-pawn or Nf7+ Rxd5 37.Rxd5+- f6 38.Rd8! g5 39.Qd4 and White won the game after a dozen more moves.

GM Arjun Erigais scored his fourth win of the event, first one since Round 5

Vidit - Shant

Position after 58.d8Q+

The above endgame is winning for White. But the real question is how? GM Vidit Gujrathi (2712) could not figure out and GM Shant Sargsyan (ARM, 2653) escaped with a draw.

GM Vidit Gujrathi for the second time at this event could not convert his decisive advantage in the endgame

GM Andrei Volokitin (UKR) - GM Aditya Mittal: 0-1

GM Robert Hovhannisyan (ARM) - GM D Gukesh, Commentary by IM Sagar Shah | Video: ChessBase India

The reigning Women's World Cup winner, GM Divya Deshmukh made a one-move blunder in time trouble against GM Sanan Sjugirov (HUN) which cost her the game

Women: Kateryna still in sole lead, Vaishali in pursuit

GM Bibisara Assaubayeva (KAZ) missed a win and allowed GM Kateryna Lagno to salvage a draw

GM R Vaishali - IM Yuxin Song (CHN): 0.5-0.5

For more photos, please click here

Schedule

Every day game starts at 30 p.m. local time, 3:30 p.m. IST from 4th to 15th September 2025. Rest day is on Wednesday 10th September 2025. The last round on 15th September will start at 2 p.m. local time, 2:30 p.m. IST.

Time Control

The time control for each game is: 100 minutes for the first 40 moves, followed by 50 minutes for the next 20 moves, followed by 15 minutes for the rest of the game with an increment of 30 seconds per move starting from move 1 in the Open section. For Women, the time control is 40 moves in 90 minutes + 30 minutes + 30 seconds increment per move.

Qualification

Open: The winner and the runner-up of Grand Swiss shall qualify for the FIDE Candidates Tournament 2026. If any of these players is the FIDE World Champion as of 1 January 2025 or have already qualified for the FIDE Candidates Tournament 2026 at the moment of the beginning of the FIDE Grand Swiss Tournament 2025, or withdraws the qualification spot(s) shall be awarded, in the order of priority, to the player ⁃ in the 3rd place in the FIDE Grand Swiss Tournament 2025; ⁃ in the 2nd place according to the FIDE Circuit 2024 ranking list; ⁃ who is next yet unqualified in the FIDE Circuit 2025 ranking list.

Women: The winner and the runner-up of WGS shall qualify for the FIDE Women’s Candidates Tournament 2024. If one or both these players has (-ve) already qualified to the FIDE Candidates Tournament 2026 at the moment of the beginning of WGS via different qualification track or do (-es) not need to qualify for the FIDE Women’s Candidates Tournament 2026, the qualification spot(s) shall go to the highest-placed player(s) in the final standings who has/have not yet qualified to the FIDE Women’s Candidates Tournament 2026 at the moment of the beginning of WGS.

Prizes

The total prize fund in the Open is US$ 625000 with the first prize being $90000. For Women's the total prize fund is $230000, first prize $40000. Total numbers of prizes are 73, Open - 50 and Women - 23.

Watch live stream

Replay FIDE Grand Swiss and Women’s Grand Swiss 2023 Round 9 Live Commentary by IM Sagar Shah and Amruta Mokal | Video: ChessBase India

Replay Round 9 Open games

Replay Round 9 Women games

Round 9 Open results

Rd.	Bo.	No.		Name	Rtg	Pts.	Result	Pts.		Name	Rtg	No.
9	1	20	GM	Nihal Sarin	2693	6	0 - 1	5½	GM	Firouzja Alireza	2754	4
9	6	1	GM	Praggnanandhaa R	2785	5	½ - ½	5	GM	Liang Awonder	2698	19
9	7	2	GM	Erigaisi Arjun	2771	5	1 - 0	5	GM	Sevian Samuel	2692	22
9	11	16	GM	Vidit Santosh Gujrathi	2712	5	½ - ½	5	GM	Sargsyan Shant	2653	43
9	13	96	GM	Pranav V	2596	5	0 - 1	4½	GM	Tabatabaei M. Amin	2673	31
9	14	10	GM	Mamedyarov Shakhriyar	2741	4½	1 - 0	4½	GM	Puranik Abhimanyu	2640	57
9	26	83	GM	Mendonca Leon Luke	2615	4	½ - ½	4	GM	Artemiev Vladislav	2664	37
9	27	40	GM	Sadhwani Raunak	2658	4	½ - ½	4	GM	Dardha Daniel	2624	73
9	35	67	GM	Volokitin Andrei	2628	4	0 - 1	4	GM	Aditya Mittal	2589	104
9	36	99	GM	Narayanan S L	2591	4	½ - ½	4	GM	Cheparinov Ivan	2627	68
9	37	18	GM	Harikrishna Pentala	2704	3½	1 - 0	4	GM	Abdisalimov Abdimalik	2488	112
9	38	65	GM	Hovhannisyan Robert	2629	3½	½ - ½	3½	GM	Gukesh D	2767	3
9	40	85	GM	Najer Evgeniy	2613	3½	½ - ½	3½	GM	Karthikeyan Murali	2669	35
9	42	79	GM	Aryan Chopra	2619	3½	½ - ½	3½	GM	Indjic Aleksandar	2650	47
9	57	115	GM	Divya Deshmukh	2478	4	0 - 1	4	GM	Sjugirov Sanan	2627	69

Details

Standings after Round 9

Rk.	SNo		Name	FED	Rtg	Pts.	TB1	TB2	TB3
1	32	GM	Bluebaum, Matthias	GER	2671	6,5	2681	43,5	46
2	4	GM	Firouzja, Alireza	FRA	2754	6,5	2678	41	44,5
3	5	GM	Keymer, Vincent	GER	2751	6,5	2655	40,5	44,5
4	7	GM	Giri, Anish	NED	2746	6,5	2649	39,5	43,5
5	86	GM	Mishra, Abhimanyu	USA	2611	6	2733	46	49,5
6	2	GM	Erigaisi, Arjun	IND	2771	6	2676	40	43
7	6	GM	Abdusattorov, Nodirbek	UZB	2748	6	2655	41,5	45,5
8	20	GM	Nihal, Sarin	IND	2693	6	2647	41,5	45
9	12	GM	Niemann, Hans Moke	USA	2733	6	2644	40	43,5
10	11	GM	Vachier-Lagrave, Maxime	FRA	2738	6	2633	39	42,5

Details

Round 10 pairings

Rd.	Bo.	No.		Name	Rtg	Pts.	Pts.		Name	Rtg	No.
10	3	15	GM	Yu Yangyi	2714	6	6	GM	Erigaisi Arjun	2771	2
10	4	20	GM	Nihal Sarin	2693	6	6	GM	Abdusattorov Nodirbek	2748	6
10	6	12	GM	Niemann Hans Moke	2733	6	5½	GM	Praggnanandhaa R	2785	1
10	10	42	GM	Saric Ivan	2655	5½	5½	GM	Vidit Santosh Gujrathi	2712	16
10	17	104	GM	Aditya Mittal	2589	5	5	GM	Dubov Daniil	2691	24
10	23	55	GM	Vokhidov Shamsiddin	2645	5	5	GM	Pranav V	2596	96
10	24	68	GM	Cheparinov Ivan	2627	4½	4½	GM	Harikrishna Pentala	2704	18
10	26	36	GM	Vitiugov Nikita	2666	4½	4½	GM	Mendonca Leon Luke	2615	83
10	28	76	GM	Demchenko Anton	2620	4½	4½	GM	Sadhwani Raunak	2658	40
10	34	57	GM	Puranik Abhimanyu	2640	4½	4½	GM	Suleymanli Aydin	2602	93
10	35	60	GM	Chigaev Maksim	2638	4½	4½	GM	Narayanan S L	2591	99
10	36	3	GM	Gukesh D	2767	4	4	GM	Sargissian Gabriel	2626	70
10	38	34	GM	Shankland Sam	2670	4	4	GM	Aryan Chopra	2619	79
10	39	35	GM	Karthikeyan Murali	2669	4	4	GM	Zemlyanskii Ivan	2586	105
10	57	47	GM	Indjic Aleksandar	2650	4	4	GM	Divya Deshmukh	2478	115

Details

Round 9 Women results

Bo.	No.		White	Rtg	Pts.	Result	Pts.		Black	Rtg	No.
1	4	GM	Lagno, Kateryna	2505	6½	½ - ½	6	GM	Assaubayeva, Bibisara	2505	3
2	13	GM	Vaishali, Rameshbabu	2452	6	½ - ½	6	IM	Song, Yuxin	2409	21
3	44	GM	Krush, Irina	2366	5	1 - 0	5	GM	Stefanova, Antoaneta	2395	27
4	30	GM	Girya, Olga	2386	5	½ - ½	5	IM	Guo, Qi	2371	42
5	6	GM	Muzychuk, Mariya	2484	5	1 - 0	4½	GM	Ushenina, Anna	2409	20
6	1	GM	Muzychuk, Anna	2535	4½	1 - 0	4½	WIM	Khamdamova, Afruza	2409	22
7	5	IM	Shuvalova, Polina	2492	4½	½ - ½	4½	IM	Wagner, Dinara	2400	26
8	9	GM	Kosteniuk, Alexandra	2472	4½	½ - ½	4½	IM	Narva, Mai	2386	31
9	15	IM	Tsolakidou, Stavroula	2445	4½	½ - ½	4½	GM	Dronavalli, Harika	2467	10
10	12	IM	Injac, Teodora	2454	4½	0 - 1	4½	IM	Fataliyeva, Ulviyya	2385	33

Details

Standings after Round 9

Rk.	SNo		Name	FED	Rtg	Pts.	TB1	TB2	TB3
1	4	GM	Lagno, Kateryna	FID	2505	7	2427	43,5	46,5
2	13	GM	Vaishali, Rameshbabu	IND	2452	6,5	2416	44	47,5
3	3	GM	Assaubayeva, Bibisara	KAZ	2505	6,5	2414	42	45,5
4	2	GM	Tan, Zhongyi	CHN	2531	6,5	2409	38	41
5	21	IM	Song, Yuxin	CHN	2409	6,5	2405	41	44
6	44	GM	Krush, Irina	USA	2366	6	2424	35,5	38,5
7	6	GM	Muzychuk, Mariya	UKR	2484	6	2398	35,5	38,5
8	33	IM	Fataliyeva, Ulviyya	AZE	2385	5,5	2465	45	49,5
9	30	GM	Girya, Olga	FID	2386	5,5	2442	44	47,5
10	42	IM	Guo, Qi	CHN	2371	5,5	2440	41	44

Details

Round 10 pairings

Bo.	No.		White	Rtg	Pts.	Result	Pts.		Black	Rtg	No.
1	2	GM	Tan, Zhongyi	2531	6½		7	GM	Lagno, Kateryna	2505	4
2	21	IM	Song, Yuxin	2409	6½		6½	GM	Assaubayeva, Bibisara	2505	3
3	13	GM	Vaishali, Rameshbabu	2452	6½		6	GM	Muzychuk, Mariya	2484	6
4	42	IM	Guo, Qi	2371	5½		6	GM	Krush, Irina	2366	44
5	33	IM	Fataliyeva, Ulviyya	2385	5½		5½	GM	Girya, Olga	2386	30
6	5	IM	Shuvalova, Polina	2492	5		5½	GM	Muzychuk, Anna	2535	1
7	23	GM	Danielian, Elina	2405	5		5	IM	Osmak, Yuliia	2478	7
8	26	IM	Wagner, Dinara	2400	5		5	GM	Kosteniuk, Alexandra	2472	9
9	10	GM	Dronavalli, Harika	2467	5		5	GM	Stefanova, Antoaneta	2395	27
10	37	IM	Maltsevskaya, Aleksandra	2379	5		5	IM	Lu, Miaoyi	2449	14

Details

Links

Official site

Tournament Regulations: Open and Women

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