Venkatesh upsets Sarin at Fujairah Global Chess Championship 2025

The inaugural Fujairah Global Chess Championship 2025 opened with a stunning upset, as India’s reigning World Junior Champion GM Pranav Venkatesh toppled top seed and Asian Individual silver medalist GM Nihal Sarin.

Playing Black in the Sicilian, Nihal soon found himself under mounting pressure. Limited with space, his pieces struggled to find activity.

On move 29, his bishop became trapped near Pranav’s king, shifting the balance decisively. Although Nihal was given a chance to bounce back after Pranav’s slip on move 45, he missed this opportunity, ultimately resigning after a long 71-move battle.

For Nihal, who is close to the 2700 rating mark, the loss was a major setback, and he appeared visibly dejected after the game. Just last week, Nihal defeated Pranav at the Chennai Grandmasters, but this time Pranav took sweet revenge by leveling the score.

On Monday, the city of Fujairah, UAE, hosted the opening and the first round of the 1st Fujairah Global Chess Championship 2025.

With 71 countries and over 530 participants across three sections — Superstars with 44 players, Masters with 239 players, and Open with 250 players — the championship promises top-level action filled with excitement and unexpected results throughout.

Special guests from the UAE Chess Federation, Fujairah Chess & Culture Club, and the Qatar Chess Federation attended the opening, reaffirming international support for the growth of chess in the UAE and underlining the global importance of the event.

Dr. Abdullah AAL Baraket, President of the Fujairah Chess & Culture Club, and Mohamed Al Mudahka, President of the Qatar Chess Federation, made the first ceremonial moves to officially launch the competition in all three sections.

The Superstars tournament kicked off with drama and surprises as 44 elite players, boasting an impressive average rating of 2606, battled it out in the opening round.

The spotlight fell on a string of unexpected results.

Second seed GM Raunak Sadhwani was held to a draw by FIDE’s GM Aleksey Grebnev, denying him a smooth start.

Third seed GM Amin Tabatabaei faced the biggest shock of the day, falling to Romanian veteran GM Alexander Motylev in a stunning upset.

India’s GM S L Narayanan split the point with American star GM Sam Shankland, while GM Pranav Anand frustrated UAE’s top player GM Salem Saleh with a solid draw.

Rising Indian talent GM Pranesh M also impressed, holding Mexico’s GM Jose Martinez Alcantara to a draw.

Hungary’s GM Sanan Sjugirov defeated compatriot GM Adam Kozak to start with a full point. The first-round upsets were so striking that ninth seed Sjugirov now finds himself on Board 1 for Round 2, 12th seed Cheparinov – on Board 2, and 18th seed Abhimanyu Mishra  – on Board 3. In fact, among the top 18 players, as many as 15 either lost or were held to draws — a clear indication of how fiercely competitive this section is.

The tournament boasts a total prize fund of $125,000, with $80,000 allotted to the Superstars section, $30,000 to the Masters (2200–2599), and $15,000 to the Open (2200). The top three prizes in the Superstars are $23,000, $13,000, and $9,000 respectively.

The Masters is itself a very strong Grandmaster tournament. On the top board, USA’s GM Vladimir Akopian received a walkover to get himself on the scoreboard.

On Board 2, India’s reigning National Champion, GM Karthik Venkataraman, started his campaign with a win against compatriot FM Garv Gaur. On Board 3, Turkey’s GM Sanal Vahap defeated India’s Namitbir Singh Walia to secure his first victory.