Chennai grand masters postponed after fire incident at tournament's venue

Chennai grand masters postponed after fire incident at tournament's venue

The start of the third edition of the Chennai Grand Masters chess tournament has been deferred by a day after a fire broke out late Tuesday night at the event’s venue, the Hyatt Regency hotel in Chennai. All participating players are safe and were temporarily shifted to a nearby hotel.

The tournament, which was originally scheduled to begin on Wednesday, will now kick off on Thursday following fresh safety inspections at the hotel.

‘Fire at Hotel Hyatt Regency last night, the venue of the Chennai GM. All the players are safe and shifted to another hotel nearby. Tournament postponed by a day,’ Indian Grandmaster and tournament director Srinath Narayanan posted on X.

Although players were later brought back to the hotel, the organisers opted to push the tournament by a day as a precaution.

‘Close to midnight there was an emergency in the Hotel Hyatt Regency in Chennai. Due to an electric fire on the ninth floor, the entire hotel became smoky and everyone had to evacuate the hotel before it became difficult to breathe,’ ChessBase India reported.

Speaking to PTI, the organisers confirmed that while the schedule has been slightly adjusted, the tournament will still conclude on August 15 as planned.

‘The timings will be the same, and the tournament will end on August 15 itself. There was a rest day in between, and that is no longer part of the schedule,’ they said.

Leading names feature in tournament

The Chennai Grand Masters, boasting a prize pool of INR 1 crore, features a strong field including Indian No.1 Arjun Erigaisi, experienced campaigner Vidit Gujrathi, and Dutch star Anish Giri. Erigaisi, currently ranked World No. 5, will begin his campaign against American prodigy Awonder Liang.

One of the most anticipated fixtures of the tournament, a clash between Erigaisi and Gujrathi, is set to take place in Round 8 on August 14.

Unlike the previous two editions which were played over seven rounds, this year’s tournament will see 19 Grandmasters in action and will offer key FIDE Circuit points. These points could prove crucial in qualifying for the 2026 Candidates Tournament, as was the case with reigning world champion D Gukesh, whose breakthrough at this event last year earned him a spot in the Candidates.