Mihail Nikitenko joins Abhijeet Gupta at the top of Delhi International GM Open chess tournament 2025

Belarusian GM Mihail Nikitenko, wielding the white pieces, secured victory against Georgian GM Luka Paichadze in Round 8 of the 21st Delhi International Open Grandmasters Chess Tournament 2025. This win elevated him to share the lead with Abhijeet Gupta, both players accumulating seven points with two rounds remaining in Category A.The tournament maintains its status as Asia's largest open chess competition, featuring over 2,500 participants from more than 20 nations, including 24 Grandmasters. Under the All India Chess Federation's supervision, the competition offers a substantial prize fund of Rs 1.21 crore, solidifying its significance in India's chess landscape.Previous sole leader Gupta, who holds an unprecedented three Delhi GM Open titles, engaged in an intense match against Armenian GM Manuel Petrosyan on Wednesday. Their hard-fought encounter, marked by frequent tactical exchanges, concluded in a draw, with each player securing half a point.GM SL Narayan, the tournament's top-rated competitor, shared points with Indian International Master Neelash Saha, keeping both players within reach of the leaders. Indian IM Aronyak Ghosh and Swedish GM Vitaly Sivuk also drew their match, while GM Diptayan Ghosh defeated Russian GM Boris Savchenko. These three finished Round 8 with six and a half points, trailing the leaders by half a point.The pursuing group expanded to include GMs Aditya S Samant, Mamikon Gharibyan (Armenia), and Aleksej Aleksandrov (Belarus), each securing victories in Round 8. GMs Venkataraman Kartik, Nguyen Doc Hoa (Vietnam), and MR Venkatesh also won their matches but remained at least a point behind the leaders.Category C, featuring 1,250 participants competing for Rs 35 lakhs in prize money, continued on Wednesday. This section will conclude on June 14, with the champion receiving Rs 4 lakhs.