Latest news with #25thDubaiOpenChessTournament
Gulf Today
06-06-2025
- Sport
- Gulf Today
Grebnev wins 25th Dubai Open Chess title
After a month of non-stop competition - playing one tournament after another across three cities in the UAE with little rest in between - teenage Grandmaster (GM) Aleksey Grebnev finally hit his stride in Dubai. Needing only a draw to secure the title, the 18-year-old Russian stayed composed despite an opening surprise by his opponent to calmly collect the half point he needed to clinch the championship in the 25th Dubai Open Chess Tournament on Wednesday at the Dubai Chess and Culture Club. Grebnev drew his final-round game against GM Shant Sargsyan of Armenia to finish with seven points in the nine-round tournament on account of five wins, four draws, and no losses. While he has won the Asian Junior Championship twice in 2023 and 2024 and was the 2023 U18 World Youth champion, Grebnev considers the Dubai Open as the biggest win in his young career. 'I am very pleased that I managed to show a good performance and win the tournament,' said Grebnev after the title-clinching draw. 'This is my first time winning a tournament of this level.' Playing white against Sargsyan, Grebnev said he was surprised to see the Caro-Kann defense on the board, which he countered with the Two Knights' Attack. 'Before the game, I decided that I had to play hard (despite needing only a draw to win the tournament),' he said. 'My opponent surprised me in the opening by defending with the Caro-Kann, but I responded well and the position quickly equalised and he offered a draw.' The Dubai Open was Grebnev's fourth tournament in a row - and third successive event within a month in the UAE. He played at the Asian Men's Championship in Al Ain and the Sharjah Masters last month with uninspiring results, but Dubai proved to be the turning point. 'I feel tired,' he said of playing high-pressure games almost every day for a month. 'But I'm very happy with the results of the tournament.' To celebrate, Grebnev said he plans to explore some of Dubai's must-visit spots with his mother Helena, who accompanied him during the Dubai leg of his four-week campaign in the UAE. 'I just want to take a break from the tension,' he said. 'This is my first time in Dubai and I was planning to go to the Dubai Mall tomorrow. After Dubai, I plan to rest for a week and then I'll play in the Higher League of the Russian Championship.' GM Alan Pichot of Spain also finished the tournament with seven points after defeating Iranian prodigy GM Sina Movahed, but settled for second place with an inferior tiebreak score, which calculated the average rating of a player's opponents. Russia's GM Ivan Zemlyanskii, who defeated Vietnam's IM Pham Tran Gia Phuc, Sargsyan, and GM Aleksandar Indjic of Serbia, who won over India's GM Bharath Subramaniyam, scored 6.5 points each and finished third to fifth, respectively.
Gulf Today
05-06-2025
- Sport
- Gulf Today
Grebnev hangs on to slim lead despite draw
A draw was sufficient for Grandmaster (GM) Aleksey Grebnev to maintain his half-point lead after a catastrophic collapse by one of his closest pursuers in the eighth round of the 25th Dubai Open Chess Tournament at the Dubai Chess and Culture Club. Grebnev of Russia upped his score to 6.5 points after a relatively short, uneventful 21-move draw with Iran's GM Sina Movahed, one of two players who were just half a point behind the tournament leader. Grebnev's compatriot GM Ivan Zemlyanskii, the other player within striking distance of the lead, dropped out of the running for the championship after losing to Armenia's GM Shant Sargsyan. Movahed, Sargsyan, and Spain's GM Alan Pichot, who defeated IM Rohith Krishna S of India, closely trail Grebnev with six points each going into the final round. Playing the white pieces in an Italian Game, Sargsyan sacrificed a pawn that created room for his pieces to operate on both sides of the board. Looking for counterplay, Zemlyanskii decided to strike in the centre with a pawn break on the d-file, a flawed plan that allowed Sargsyan to win back the sacrificed material and enter the endgame with a strategically won position. Zemlyanskii stirred the game into complications in a bid to provoke errors and create practical chances, but despite a few imprecisions in technique, Sargsyan maintained control and converted with a tactical blow to finish the game. Grebnev will take on Sargsyan in Wednesday's final round, while Movahed faces Pichot, with all four players in the running for the title. In Category B, after six straight wins to start the tournament, Fide Master (FM) Mahdi Nikookar conceded a second consecutive draw, allowing India's Candidate Master (CM) Alankar Sawai Vandan to tie him for the lead. Nikookar drew his game with India's M. Mridav, while Vandan defeated Sri Lanka's Pesandu Rashmitha Liyanage. Both have seven points, a full point ahead of five others. Tournament format, schedule, prizes The tournament follows a 9-round Swiss system with a 90-minute time control plus a 30-second increment per move. Games are played every day from 5pm, except the final round on June 4, which starts at 10am. The tournament offers a prize pool of $52,000 to be handed out to the winners of both categories. Category A, contested by players with a rating over 2300, has a total prize fund of $39,500 with $12,000 going to the champion, while Category B, open to players rated below 2300, offers $12,500 in total prizes and $2,000 awarded to the champion. Special prizes will also be distributed to top performers among rating categories, unrated, youth, women, and UAE players. International arbiter team & live coverage International Arbiter Majed Al Abdooli of the UAE spearheads the tournament's international team of arbiters who will manage and oversee the competition. Chess fans from around the world can watch the Category A games live on the club's website as well as chess platforms such as and
Gulf Today
04-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Gulf Today
Grebnev reclaims solo leadership with two rounds to go in Dubai chess tourney
Grandmaster (GM) Aleksey Grebnev of Russia once again distanced himself from the field with a hard-fought win against International Master (IM) S. Rohith Krishna of India in Monday night's seventh round of the 25th Dubai Open Chess Tournament at the Dubai Chess and Culture Club. Grebnev captalised on a series of blunders by Krishna in what was otherwise an equal position to dispose of his erstwhile co-leader and take the tournament lead with six points. The 18-year-old Russian is trailed closely by two other teenage grandmasters three years his junior - his compatriot Ivan Zemlyanskii and Sina Movahed of Iran, who both have 5.5 points. Movahed, who turned 15 last week during the tournament's opening day, and Zemlyanskii, two months shy of his 15th birthday in August, scored the biggest scalps of the round after defeating defending champion GM Mahammad Muradli and top-seed GM Nihal Sarin, respectively. Movahed inflicted Muradli's second consecutive loss in the tournament. Muradli was on the backpedal right out of the opening as Movahed sacrificed a pawn to weaken the Azerbaijani's kingside defence. Movahed, however, could not find the precise continuation to convert his advantage until a greedy pawn grab by Muradli on the 39th move allowed the Iranian to launch an overwhelming attack with all his pieces contributing to the onslaught. Muradli resigned three moves later. After being held by two consecutive draws, Nihal, playing the black pieces, once again took big risks to play for a win. The ploy initially worked as he started to create weaknesses around white's kingside, but the Indian failed to find the most accurate way to sustain the offensive, allowing Zemlyanskii to force an exchange of queens that neutralised the attack and left him a pawn up in the endgame. Grebnev will have the black pieces as he tries to protect his lead when he faces Movahed in the next round. In Category B, Fide Master (FM) Mahdi Nikookar of Iran ended his perfect run after a draw with Sri Lanka's Pesandu Rashmitha Liyanage in the seventh round. Nikookar, however, remains the solo leader with 6.5 points, followed by Liyanage and Indian Candidate Master (CM) Alankar Sawai Vandan with six points each. Vandan defeated Armenia's Davit Baghdasaryan. The tournament follows a 9-round Swiss system with a 90-minute time control plus a 30-second increment per move. Games are played every day from 5pm, except the final round on June 4, which starts at 10am. The awarding ceremony is on June 5. The tournament offers a prize pool of $52,000 to be handed out to the winners of both categories. Category A, contested by players with a rating over 2300, has a total prize fund of $39,500 with $12,000 going to the champion, while Category B, open to players rated below 2300, offers $12,500 in total prizes and $2,000 awarded to the champion. Special prizes will also be distributed to top performers among rating categories, unrated, youth, women, and UAE players. Chess fans from around the world can watch the Category A games live on the club's website as well as chess platforms such as and Earlier, International Master (IM) S Rohith Krishna of India defeated defending champion GM Mahammad Muradli to rise to the top of the standings in a tie with Grandmaster (GM) Aleksey Grebnev after Sunday night's sixth round. Grebnev drew with top-seed GM Nihal Sarin on the first board, allowing Krishna to join him for the lead with five points each. Nihal remains in joint second place with 4.5 points, alongside his compatriot GM Bharath Subramaniyam, GM Zemlyanskii, GM Shant Sargsyan, and GM Movahed. Muradli sacrificed a pawn on move six in a delayed Benko Gambit and a few moves later the game reached a position that was previously seen in a game between world number two Hikaru Nakamura and former FIDE world champion Ruslan Ponomariov. Muradli, however, deviated on move 13, a questionable decision that allowed Krishna to gain time to reinforce his central pawns and plant an uncontested knight on the c4-square, the white knight's ideal outpost in the Benko Gambit.
Gulf Today
03-06-2025
- Sport
- Gulf Today
Krishna beats holder Muradli, goes on top in Dubai chess tourney
International Master (IM) S Rohith Krishna of India defeated defending champion GM Mahammad Muradli of Azerbaijan to rise to the top of the standings in a tie with Grandmaster (GM) Aleksey Grebnev of Russia after Sunday night's sixth round of the 25th Dubai Open Chess Tournament at the Dubai Chess and Culture Club. Grebnev, the overnight solo leader, drew with top-seed GM Nihal Sarin on the first board, allowing Krishna to join him for the lead with five points each. The two players will face each other in the seventh round. Nihal remains in joint second place with 4.5 points, alongside his compatriot GM Bharath Subramaniyam, GM Ivan Zemlyanskii of Russia, GM Shant Sargsyan of Armenia, and GM Sina Movahed of Iran. Muradli, playing black, sacrificed a pawn on move six in a delayed Benko Gambit and a few moves later the game reached a position that was previously seen in a game between world number two Hikaru Nakamura and former FIDE world champion Ruslan Ponomariov. Muradli, however, deviated on move 13, a questionable decision that allowed Krishna to gain time to reinforce his central pawns and plant an uncontested knight on the c4-square, the white knight's ideal outpost in the Benko Gambit. It was all downhill from thereon for Muradli as Krishna managed to create a powerful passed pawn on the a-file and a strong initiative in the queenside. Muradli sacrificed his rook for a bishop and to eliminate the dangerous passed pawn, while pinning his hopes on his passer on the c-file, but Krishna's two rooks proved more than a match for Muradli's bishop-and-rook combo in the endgame. Sarin took risks to unbalance the position and create chances against Grebnev, leaving his king in the center and launching a kingside pawn storm, but the Russian defended accurately and the game ended in a draw by repetition of moves. In Category B, Fide Master (FM) Mahdi Nikookar of Iran won his sixth straight game to remain the only player with a perfect score in the tournament. Nikookar defeated Candidate Master (CM) Allayar Shirliyev of Turkmenistan for his sixth point, half a point ahead of Sri Lanka's Pesandu Rashmitha Liyanage, who has 5.5 points after winning over FM Sajid Sakline Mostafa of Bangladesh. CM Alankar Sawai Vandan of India and Davit Baghdasaryan of Armenia are in joint third place with five points each. The tournament follows a 9-round Swiss system with a 90-minute time control plus a 30-second increment per move. Games are played every day from 5pm, except the final round on June 4, which starts at 10am. The awarding ceremony is on June 5. The tournament offers a prize pool of $52,000 to be handed out to the winners of both categories. Category A, contested by players with a rating over 2300, has a total prize fund of $39,500 with $12,000 going to the champion, while Category B, open to players rated below 2300, offers $12,500 in total prizes and $2,000 awarded to the champion. Special prizes will also be distributed to top performers among rating categories, unrated, youth, women, and UAE players. International arbiter team & live coverage International Arbiter Majed Al Abdooli of the UAE spearheads the tournament's international team of arbiters who will manage and oversee the competition. Chess fans from around the world can watch the Category A games live on the club's website as well as chess platforms such as and Earlier, Grandmaster (GM) Aleksey Grebnev grabbed the pole position after emerging as the lone winner among the erstwhile co-leaders in Saturday night's fifth round of the 25th Dubai Open Chess Tournament at the Dubai Chess and Culture Club. The 18-year-old Russian talent played the Sicilian Defence and then accepted and ultimately refuted a rare pawn gambit line unleashed by the Indian GM Bharath Subramaniyam to pick up his fourth win against a lone draw and no losses. Subramaniyam initially succeeded in keeping Grebnev's king stuck in the centre, but the Indian lost his way in the complications when he allowed a queen trade that left him a pawn down in the endgame - and where the Russian's previously vulnerable king became an active asset.
Al Etihad
02-06-2025
- Sport
- Al Etihad
Indian IM stuns Dubai Open chess title holder to move into joint lead
2 June 2025 19:37 DUABI (ALETIHAD)International Master (IM) S Rohith Krishna of India defeated defending champion GM Mahammad Muradli of Azerbaijan to rise to the top of the standings in a tie with Grandmaster (GM) Aleksey Grebnev of Russia after the sixth round of the 25th Dubai Open Chess Tournament at the Dubai Chess and Culture Club. Grebnev, the overnight solo leader, drew with top-seed GM Nihal Sarin on the first board, allowing Krishna to join him for the lead with five points each. Nihal remains in joint second place with 4.5 points, alongside his compatriot GM Bharath Subramaniyam, GM Ivan Zemlyanskii of Russia, GM Shant Sargsyan of Armenia, and GM Sina Movahed of Iran. Muradli, playing black, sacrificed a pawn on the sixth move in a delayed Benko Gambit and a few moves later the game reached a position that was previously seen in a game between world No.2 Hikaru Nakamura and former FIDE world champion Ruslan Ponomariov. Muradli, however, deviated on move 13, a questionable decision that allowed Krishna to gain time to reinforce his central pawns and plant an uncontested knight on the c4-square, the white knight's ideal outpost in the Benko Gambit. It was all downhill from thereon for Muradli as Krishna managed to create a powerful passed pawn on the a-file and a strong initiative in the queenside. Muradli sacrificed his rook for a bishop and to eliminate the dangerous passed pawn, while pinning his hopes on his passer on the c-file, but Krishna's two rooks proved more than a match for Muradli's bishop-and-rook combo in the endgame. Sarin took risks to unbalance the position and create chances against Grebnev, leaving his king in the centre and launching a kingside pawn storm, but the Russian defended accurately and the game ended in a draw by repetition of moves. In Category B, Fide Master (FM) Mahdi Nikookar of Iran won his sixth straight game to remain the only player with a perfect score in the tournament. Nikookar defeated Candidate Master (CM) Allayar Shirliyev of Turkmenistan for his sixth point, half a point ahead of Sri Lanka's Pesandu Rashmitha Liyanage, who has 5.5 points after winning over FM Sajid Sakline Mostafa of Bangladesh. CM Alankar Sawai Vandan of India and Davit Baghdasaryan of Armenia are in joint third place with five points each.
