Indian Sports Wrap, May 17: Delhi GM Open 2025 to take place from June 7

CHESS

Delhi GM Open 2025 to take place from June 7

The 21st edition of the Delhi International Open Grandmasters Chess Tournament will be held from June 7 to 14 at Tivoli Gardens, Chattarpur, New Delhi.

This year, the Delhi GM Open will host over 2,500 players from more than 15 countries, including 20 Grandmasters, competing across three rating-based categories. The prize pool of INR 1.21 crore marks a 168 per cent increase from last year’s edition. 

Category A carries a INR 51 lakh prize pool and is open to internationally rated players. Categories B and C, for players rated below 1900 and 1700, respectively, will offer INR 35 lakh each. All matches will follow FIDE rules and the FIDE Swiss System format, with 10 rounds in every section.

Past winners of the event include GM Arjun Erigaisi and GM Aravindh Chithambaram while World Champion D. Gukesh earned his final GM norm here to become a Grandmaster. 

Delhi Chess Association President Bharat Singh Chauhan said, “Over the past two decades, the Delhi GM Open hasn’t just kept pace with the rise of chess in India, but has helped drive it. We’ve seen the sport move from the margins to the mainstream, and this tournament reflects that shift in every sense, from the scale of participation to the depth of competition and the infrastructure supporting it. With every edition, we’re strengthening the foundations for a sustainable, high-performance chess culture in the country.”

Category A games will follow a classical time control of 90 minutes plus a 30-second increment from move one, with the top three prizes set at INR 7 lakh, INR 6 lakh and INR 5 lakh respectively. The top 10 finishers in this category will each receive INR 1 lakh or more, while special prizes of INR 1 lakh each will be awarded to the Best Female Player and Best Foreign Player.

Category B and C games will follow a 60-minute-plus-30-second time limit and 30-minute-plus-30-second formats, respectively. Entry is free for Grandmasters, International Masters, Women Grandmasters, and Women International Masters.

– Team Sportstar

TENNIS

Bhambri-Galloway pair reaches semifinals of Bordeaux Challenger

India’s Yuki Bhambri and his American partner Robert Galloway moved into the semifinals of the Bordeaux Challenger with a straight-sets win over unseeded French pair of Quentin Halys and Albano Olivetti on Saturday.

The second-seeded Indo-American pair registered a 7-5 6-3 win over its unseeded rival in one hour and eight minutes. It will next take on third seed Brazilians Rafael Matos and Marcelo Melo.

India’s other contenders have exited the tournament.

N Sriram Balaji and his Mexican partner Miguel Reyes-Varela had lost the doubles quarterfinal and in the singles draw, Sumit Nagal had suffered a first-round defeat.

-PTI