Chennai, Nov 8 (IANS): India's Pranav V. maintained his perfect start in the Chennai Grand Masters 2024 by registering his fourth win in as many games against Vaishali R. on Friday even as Arjun Erigaisi grabbed the lead in the Masters section, defeating Amin Tabatabaei in a clash of the leaders.

Coming into the match on the back of a perfect start, Pranav sacrificed his Queen early, taking away Vaishali’s corresponding piece in a bold play. With the field levelled, the pair exchanged heavy blows across the board before Pranav, playing with black pieces, forced his opponent into a corner and claimed the win.

In the Masters' category, Erigaisi continued his unbeaten run in the tournament by defeating Tabatabaei in a battle of the table-toppers. Erigaisi, who has moved the to World No. 2 spot in Live Ratings, has accumulated 3.5 points from four rounds and now stands alone on top of the standings.

Furthermore, fellow Indians Vidit Gujrathi and Aravindh Chithambaram held Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and Levon Aronian, respectively, to stalemates, while Parham Maghsoodloo and Alexey Sarana, too, played out a draw.

Elsewhere in the Challengers category, Leon Mendonca and Abhimanyu Puranik fought to a balanced draw, while Karthikeyan Murali secured a strong win over Harika Dronavalli, showcasing his skill in a competitive game. Raunak Sadhwani and Pranesh M. also concluded their match with a well-contested draw but lost ground on runaway leader Pranav as a consequence.

The Chennai Grand Masters 2024 is taking place at the Anna Centenary Library in Chennai from November 5 to 11, 2024.

The Chennai Grand Masters 2024 features two categories–Masters & Challengers. With a rating average of 2729, the Masters presents a more competitive field this time around. The debuting Challengers, meanwhile, is designed to provide emerging Indian talent the chance to compete in a top-class tournament.