The Chennai Chess Grand Masters, India’s strongest classical tournament, returns for its second edition from November 5 to 11, giving fans a chance to watch Olympiad-winning players compete for crucial FIDE Circuit points. Headlined by history-maker Arjun Erigaisi playing his first tournament in India after reaching the 2800 ELO Rating, this tournament will witness a more competitive Masters contest and a new Challengers event featuring female players for the first time.
Organised by MGD1 with ChessBase India, and sponsored by the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu, the official sports arm of the Tamil Nadu Government, the tournament will be held at the 1,100-seat Anna Centenary Library. Entry is free for registered chess academy students, while tickets for the general audience are available on BookMyShow for INR 100: https://in.bookmyshow.com/sports/chennai-grand-masters-2024/ET00418069.
The Masters’ champion will earn 24.5 FIDE Circuit points, vital for qualifying for the 2026 Candidates Tournament, which can lead to the World Championship. In the case of joint-winners, each player will collect 22.3 points, while second and third-placed individuals will add 17.8 and 15.6 points.
GM Srinath Narayanan, VP of MGD1 said: “The Chennai Chess Grand Masters has already proven to be a great stepping stone for Indian chess talent, with last year’s event contributing to future milestone moments for Indian Chess as Gukesh (Dommaraju) secured crucial points at this very tournament that propelled him to the Candidates Tournament and, eventually, the World Championship. This year, the new Challengers event brings even greater significance, while the Masters feature an even more competitive field. We extend our deepest gratitude to the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu for their invaluable support in making this event possible and grow it bigger year on year.”
The introduction of the Challengers event will give Indian prodigies the chance to compete in top-level tournaments. The event will also feature two women–a first for Chennai Chess Grand Masters–Harika Dronavalli and Vaishali Rameshbabu, sister of R Praggnanandhaa.
“The Chennai Chess Grand Masters Challengers event is opening new doors for emerging talent to test themselves at a high level. It’s inspiring to see such strong support for developing chess in India, especially with growing female participation, and I look forward to making the most of this incredible platform,” said Harika.
The 2024 edition–with a rating average of 2729–will feature eight players fighting for crucial FIDE Circuit points. Alongside Arjun (2799), Vidit Gujrathi (2739), Aravindh Chithambaram (2706), Levon Aronian (2739), Maxime Vachier Lagrave (2737), Parham Maghsoodloo (2712), Alexey Sarana (2679), and Amin Tabatabae (2686), will also compete for a prize pool of 50 Lac, with the winner claiming 15 Lac. The Challengers participants, meanwhile, will fight for a prize pool of 20 Lac, with the winner claiming 6 Lac and a direct berth in the Masters next year.
Apart from the opportunity to watch Olympiad Gold Medalists in action, chess enthusiasts will have access to exclusive chess merchandise through special stalls. Furthermore, the tournament will also be broadcast live on ChessBase India’s YouTube channel, bringing it to the screens of over 2 million followers.