Chola Chess GM Norm RR Round 5: Alisher Suleymenov maintains his lead

by Devansh Singh - 07/02/2026

The Chola Chess International GM Norm Round Robin Tournament 2026 crossed the halfway mark after completion of five rounds. GM Alisher Suleymenov is maintaining his lead with 3.5/5 points. For second place, it's a four-way tie between Ethan Vaz, Aronyak Ghosh, Audi Ameya, and Delgado Ramirez Neuris with 3/5 points. In the 5th round of the tournament, there was only one decisive game in which Delgado Ramirez Neuris won against Boyer Mahel and reached 3/5 points, the other 4 games ended in a draw. The 6th round starts on 8th February at 2 PM IST. Photos: Himank Ghosh

Peace before the storm?

Round five of the Chola Chess GM Norm tournament witnessed peace, where four games ended in a draw, and there was just one decisive game. The leader, Alisher Suleymenov, drew against Harsh Suresh with white pieces. Audi Ameya vs Aronyak Ghosh also ended in a draw. Mayank Chakraborty drew with black pieces against Akshay Borgaonkar, and the game between Ehan Vaz and Girel Joseph also ended in a draw.

Boyer Mahel vs Delgado Ramirez Neuris (0-1)

GM Delgado Ramirez Neuris won a complicated battle against Boyer Mahel. It is Neuris's first victory of the event after 4 draws

Alisher Suleymenov - Harsh Suresh (0.5-0.5)

Ameya Audi vs Aronyak Ghosh (0.5-0.5)

Akshay Borgaonkar vs Mayank Chakraborty (0.5-0.5)

Ehan Vaz vs Girel Joseph (0.5-0.5)

Tournament hall during round 5

Check out some wonderful photos from the venue by Himank Ghosh: Here

Replay Round 5 Games

Round 5 Results

Bo.	FED	Rtg		White	Result		Black	FED	Rtg	PGN
1	KAZ	2500	GM	Suleymenov, Alisher	½ - ½	IM	Harsh, Suresh	IND	2443
2	FRA	2486	GM	Boyer, Mahel	0 - 1	GM	Delgado Ramirez, Neuris	PAR	2511
3	IND	2518	IM	Vaz, Ethan	½ - ½	GM	Girel, Joseph	FRA	2499
4	IND	2381	IM	Borgaonkar, Akshay	½ - ½	IM	Mayank, Chakraborty	IND	2473
5	IND	2418	IM	Audi, Ameya	½ - ½	IM	Aronyak, Ghosh	IND	2533

Details

Rankings after Round 5

Rk.	SNo		Name	FED	Rtg	Pts.	TB1	TB2	TB3	TB4
1	3	GM	Suleymenov, Alisher	KAZ	2500	3,5	0	8,5	2	1
2	5	IM	Vaz, Ethan	IND	2518	3	1	8	2	1
3	8	IM	Aronyak, Ghosh	IND	2533	3	2	6,25	2	0
4	7	IM	Audi, Ameya	IND	2418	3	2	5,5	2	2
5	2	GM	Delgado Ramirez, Neuris	PAR	2511	3	4	6	1	1
6	9	IM	Mayank, Chakraborty	IND	2473	2,5	0	6	1	0
7	10	IM	Harsh, Suresh	IND	2443	2	1	5,25	0	0
8	6	IM	Borgaonkar, Akshay	IND	2381	2	2	5,25	0	0
9	1	GM	Girel, Joseph	FRA	2499	2	2	4,5	0	0
10	4	GM	Boyer, Mahel	FRA	2486	1	0	2,25	0	0

Details

Round 6 Pairings

Bo.	FED	Rtg		White	Result		Black	FED	Rtg	PGN
1	IND	2443	IM	Harsh, Suresh		IM	Aronyak, Ghosh	IND	2533
2	IND	2473	IM	Mayank, Chakraborty		IM	Audi, Ameya	IND	2418
3	FRA	2499	GM	Girel, Joseph		IM	Borgaonkar, Akshay	IND	2381
4	PAR	2511	GM	Delgado Ramirez, Neuris		IM	Vaz, Ethan	IND	2518
5	KAZ	2500	GM	Suleymenov, Alisher		GM	Boyer, Mahel	FRA	2486