India Chess Wrap, May 13: Praggnanandhaa draws against Duda; Gukesh still winless at Superbet Classic in Romania

Asian Individual Chess Championships 2025

Indian players are delivering a strong show, with five men and four women featuring in the top 10 of the Open and Women’s sections, respectively. Seshadri Rija leads the Women’s section with five wins from five rounds. In the Open section, L. Srihari is the highest-placed Indian, currently in fourth position, while Iran’s Bardiya Daneshwar tops the table. Karthikeyan Murali and Nihal Sarin are also in the top 10, at seventh and tenth places, respectively. The championship not only crowns the Asian champions but also serves as a qualifier for the 2025 FIDE World Cup.

Grand Chess Tour: Superbet Chess Classic Romania 2025

D. Gukesh lost to Alireza Firouzja in Round 6 of the Superbet Classic Romania — the second leg and one of two classical events in the 2025 Grand Chess Tour. Gukesh is currently at the bottom of the standings with two points. The other Indian in the tournament, R. Praggnanandhaa shared the point with Jan-Krzysztof Duda with a draw. He now has 4.5 point from six rounds which makes him a joint-leader, along with Firouzja, Fabiano Caruana and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave.

FIDE Women’s Grand Prix 2024–2025

Anna Muzychuk and Zhu Jiner are currently tied at the top with five points each, while India’s R. Vaishali has dropped to fourth after a loss to Alexandra Kosteniuk in the seventh round. Tan Zhongyi, the Women’s World Championship runner-up, holds third place with 4.5 points — half a point ahead of Vaishali. The Grosslobming leg is the final event in the six-part 2024–2025 Women’s Grand Prix series, a key qualification pathway to the next Women’s Candidates Tournament.