A late surge by GM Aravindh Chithambaram, which involved winning the last two classical rounds, saw him crowned the Chennai Grand Masters 2024 champion while GM V Pranav remained unbeaten throughout to claim the Challengers title at the Anna Centenary Library here on Monday.
With the Masters category witnessing a three-way tie for the top spot, Aravindh defeated GM Levon Aronian in the first blitz play-off and then held his nerve to draw the second with black pieces to clinch the second edition of the competition.
Pranav, who ended the competition with four wins and three draws, will now also get a direct entry in the Masters category next year.
Organised by MGD1 and sponsored by the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu, the Chennai Grand Masters 2024 features two categories – Masters & Challengers. With a rating average of 2729, the Masters presented a more competitive field this time around. The debuting Challengers, meanwhile, was designed to provide emerging Indian talent the chance to compete in a top-class tournament.
