Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: In the scenic city of Goa, India, the Late Shri Manohar Parrikar Goa International Open Grandmaster Chess Tournament 2025 is underway, drawing some of the world’s top chess talents to the Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Indoor Stadium in Taleigao. The tournament, organized by the Goa Chess Association and supported by the Sports Authority of Goa, kicked off on January 11 and will continue until January 19, 2025.
After two rounds of fierce competition, a group of 29 players, including several grandmasters, have emerged at the top with 2 points each. GM Diptayan Ghosh (RSPB, 2569), GM Mitrabha Guha (West Bengal, 2509), GM Savchenko Boris (Russia, 2481), GM Sethuraman S.P. (Tamil Nadu, 2560), and GM Nguyen Duc Hoa (Vietnam, 2359) are among the leaders. They are joined by other notable players such as IM Srihari L R (Tamil Nadu, 2494), IM Sammed Jaykumar Shete (Maharashtra, 2379), IM Nitin S (Tamil Nadu, 2338), and IM Gochelashvili David (Russia, 2257), all of whom have maintained perfect scores.
Key matches in the second round saw GM Diptayan Ghosh defeat IM Murugan Krishnamoorthy (Tamil Nadu, 2165), while GM Sethuraman S.P. secured a win against CM Vedant Rupeshbhai Varasada (Gujarat, 2154). GM Savchenko Boris outmaneuvered Daksh Goyal (Delhi, 2101) in a tactically intense game, and GM Nguyen Duc Hoa claimed a convincing victory over WFM Shubhi Gupta (Uttar Pradesh, 2049). In another closely contested match, GM Siddharth Jagadeesh (Singapore, 2516) was held to a draw by Advaitt Srikant Koduri (Uttar Pradesh, 2105).
Local players from Goa, IM Ethan Vaz (2412) and IM Ritviz Parab (2371), are holding their ground with 1.5 points each after drawing their matches against tough opponents, WCM Charvi A (Karnataka) and WCM Prishita Gupta (Delhi), respectively. Goa’s Grandmaster, Anurag Mhamal (2499), rebounded from his first-round loss with a strong win against AIM Premshankar B U (Tamil Nadu) to reach 1 point, while IM Ameya Audi (2422) also stands at 1 point after a setback in round 2.