Aswath wins big at Grenke Open 2025 with a 2779 performance

by Shahid Ahmed - 23/04/2025

IM Aswath S and GM Brandon Jacobson (USA) scored 8/9 each at Grenke Open A 2025. Aswath won the tournament due to better tie-break scores, Brandon secured second place.GM Ivan Saric (CRO) and GM Daniil Yuffa (ESP) shared third place scoring 7.5/9 each. Aswath not only remained undefeated but also became the only IM to make a top ten finish. The first prize was €17500 (≈₹1704272.5 according to google), which means he won 17+ lacs. It is even more than tournaments total prize fund. Aswath performed at 2779 to earn his maiden GM-norm. That's not all, he played on the same stage as Magnus Carlsen (NOR), the winner of Grenke Freestyle Open and also won ahead of so many GMs and strong players. Photos: Shahid Ahmed

Aswath remains undefeated, earns his first GM-norm

IM Aswath S played fantastic chess to win Grenke Open 2025. Before that, he won 10th Noisiel Open 2025 in France. We will mention it in detail in a separate report. Apart from winning world's biggest open tournament, sharing the stage with Magnus Carlsen, scoring a huge norm, Aswath has won a prize money worth ₹17 lacs. He has several reasons to be happy about his triumph and we hope soon he will become India's next Grandmaster.

Champion - IM Aswath S 8/9

Interview with Aswath S | Video: ChessBase India

Top six (L to R): 6th GM Velimir Ivic (SRB) 7.5/9. 2nd GM Brandon Jacobson (USA) 8/9, 1st IM Aswath S 8/9, 3rd GM Ivan Saric (CRO) 7.5/9 and GM Daniil Yuffa (ESP) 7.5/9, 5th GM Valery Kazakouski (LTU) 7.5/9

Muradli - Aswath, Round 9

Position after 11.Nxd5?

GM Muradli Mahammad (AZE, 2588) made an early mistake sacrificing his knight 11.Nxd5? It resulted in him giving up the queen for two minor pieces 11...Nxd5 12.Qc6 Bb7 13.Qxb7 Nc5 14.Qxd5 Bxh2+ and Black got the queen. However, White kept fighting and eventually, IM Aswath S (2466) had to return the queen or a rook and minor piece which liquidated into a winning rook and knight endgame for Aswath.

IM Aswath S before his final round win

IM Aswath S scored an unbeaten 8/9, won the tournament on tie-breaks, performed at 2779 to earn his maiden GM-norm and increase his Elo rating by 32 points

For more Prize distribution ceremony photos, please click here.

A total of 874 players including 31 GMs, 66 IMs, 9 WGMs and 7 WIMs took part from 55 countries across the world in Open A. The five-day nine round tournament was organized by FA Sven Noppes at Messe Karlsruhe in Karlsruhe, Gernany from 17th to 21st April 2025. The time control of the event was 90 minutes + 30 seconds increment per move.

Replay all available Open A games

Round 9 results

Bo.	No.		White	Rtg	Pts.	Result	Pts.		Black	Rtg	No.
1	5	GM	Yuffa, Daniil	2649	7	½ - ½	7	GM	Kazakouski, Valery	2563	14
2	12	GM	Muradli, Mahammad	2588	7	0 - 1	7	IM	Aswath, S	2466	38
3	17	GM	Amar, Elham	2546	7	0 - 1	7	GM	Jacobson, Brandon	2570	13
4	3	GM	Saric, Ivan	2659	6½	1 - 0	6½	IM	Costa, Leonardo	2510	25
5	6	GM	Indjic, Aleksandar	2644	6½	½ - ½	6½	IM	Noe, Christopher	2508	27
6	7	GM	Ivic, Velimir	2623	6½	1 - 0	6½	IM	Panjwani, Raja	2443	41
7	10	GM	Bartel, Mateusz	2595	6½	1 - 0	6½	FM	Nothnagel, Marian Can	2424	57
8	80	IM	Degraeve, Remy	2393	6½	0 - 1	6½	GM	Meier, Georg	2595	11
9	54	IM	Lu, Miaoyi	2429	6½	½ - ½	6½	GM	Woodward, Andy	2536	19
10	110	FM	Bettalli, Francesco	2355	6½	½ - ½	6½	GM	Subelj, Jan	2528	20
11	8	GM	Donchenko, Alexander	2617	6	1 - 0	6½	IM	Merario Alarcon, Andres	2378	87
12	16	GM	Sanal, Vahap	2550	6	1 - 0	6	GM	Fishbein, Alexander	2375	91
13	18	GM	Engel, Luis	2544	6	1 - 0	6	GM	Kekelidze, Mikheil	2367	98
14	21	GM	Ten Hertog, Hugo	2528	6	½ - ½	6		Lad Mandar Pradip,	2375	92
15	24	IM	Maksimovic, Bojan	2512	6	1 - 0	6		von Mettenheim, Johannes	2362	100
16	28	IM	Rozen, Eytan	2508	6	½ - ½	6	IM	Decuigniere, Tom	2359	102
17	89		Garner, Isaac	2377	6	½ - ½	6	GM	Bellahcene, Bilel	2506	29
18	93	GM	Smith, Bryan	2374	6	0 - 1	6	IM	Trost, Edvin	2481	33
19	97	FM	Barria, Jose	2368	6	½ - ½	6	IM	Neef, Maximilian	2473	35
20	37	IM	Pfreundt, Jakob	2467	6	1 - 0	6	FM	Martins, Bruno Andre Leite	2352	115
21	106	FM	Mohamed Anees M,	2359	6	½ - ½	6	IM	Schmidek, Emil	2435	46
22	142	FM	Vardanyan, Aras	2317	6	½ - ½	6	FM	Shagbazyan, Taron	2434	47
23	49	IM	Harshavardhan G B,	2431	6	1 - 0	6	FM	Englert, Luca	2331	126
24	151	IM	Sabuk, Piotr	2310	6	0 - 1	6	IM	Schneider, Ilja	2408	69
25	152	FM	Tschernatsch, Johannes	2310	6	½ - ½	6	FM	Karsay, Pascal	2401	75
26	185	WGM	Xu, Yuanyuan	2288	6	½ - ½	6	IM	Fedorovsky, Michael	2397	77
27	219		Csontos, Aron	2262	6	1 - 0	6	FM	Bassini, Emile	2383	85
28	34	IM	Eugene, Floryan	2476	5½	½ - ½	6	WIM	Hrebenshchykova, Yelyzaveta	2296	174
29	135	FM	Roubalik, Jakub	2323	5½	1 - 0	5½	GM	Shirov, Alexei	2650	4
30	154	FM	Bodi, Tibor	2307	5½	0 - 1	5½	IM	Roshka, Yevgeniy	2488	31

Details

Final standings

Rk.	SNo		Name	FED	Rtg	RtgI	RtgN	Club/City	Pts.	TB1
1	38	IM	Aswath, S	IND	2466	2466	0		8	57
2	13	GM	Jacobson, Brandon	USA	2570	2570	0		8	54
3	3	GM	Saric, Ivan	CRO	2659	2659	2662	SK Kirchweyhe 1947	7,5	55
	5	GM	Yuffa, Daniil	ESP	2649	2649	0		7,5	55
5	14	GM	Kazakouski, Valery	LTU	2563	2563	2548	SF Bad Mergentheim	7,5	54
6	7	GM	Ivic, Velimir	SRB	2623	2623	2627	SAbt SV Werder Bremen	7,5	53
7	10	GM	Bartel, Mateusz	POL	2595	2595	2558	USV TU Dresden	7,5	51,5
8	11	GM	Meier, Georg	URU	2595	2595	2590	SC Viernheim 1934 e.V.	7,5	51
9	12	GM	Muradli, Mahammad	AZE	2588	2588	2625	Satranç Club 2000 e. V.	7	58
10	20	GM	Subelj, Jan	SLO	2528	2528	0	ZSK Maribor Poligram	7	56
11	17	GM	Amar, Elham	NOR	2546	2546	0	Oslo Schakselskap	7	55
12	8	GM	Donchenko, Alexander	GER	2617	2617	2618	OSG Baden-Baden	7	54
	37	IM	Pfreundt, Jakob	GER	2467	2467	2467	Königsspr. SC.1984 e.V.	7	54
14	19	GM	Woodward, Andy	USA	2536	2536	0	ChessDojo	7	53,5
15	18	GM	Engel, Luis	GER	2544	2544	2524	Hamburger SK von 1830 eV	7	53
16	27	IM	Noe, Christopher	GER	2508	2508	2490	SC Eppingen	7	52
17	16	GM	Sanal, Vahap	TUR	2550	2550	0		7	51,5
	33	IM	Trost, Edvin	SWE	2481	2481	0	SK Rockaden Stockholm	7	51,5
19	6	GM	Indjic, Aleksandar	SRB	2644	2644	2692	SV Deggendorf	7	50,5
	49	IM	Harshavardhan G B,	IND	2431	2431	0		7	50,5
	69	IM	Schneider, Ilja	GER	2408	2408	2355	SF Berlin 1903 e.V.	7	50,5
22	24	IM	Maksimovic, Bojan	BIH	2512	2512	0		7	49,5
23	110	FM	Bettalli, Francesco	ITA	2355	2355	0	ASD Arrocco Chess Club	7	48,5
24	54	IM	Lu, Miaoyi	CHN	2429	2429	0		7	48
25	219		Csontos, Aron	HUN	2262	2262	0	Haladas VSE	7	46
26	25	IM	Costa, Leonardo	GER	2510	2510	2529	Hamburger SK von 1830 eV	6,5	54,5
	28	IM	Rozen, Eytan	ISR	2508	2508	0	Kfar Saba Chess Club	6,5	54,5
28	21	GM	Ten Hertog, Hugo	NED	2528	2528	0	Paul Keres	6,5	52,5
29	57	FM	Nothnagel, Marian Can	GER	2424	2424	2441	SK Bickenbach	6,5	51,5
	66	IM	Czopor, Maciej	POL	2412	2412	0		6,5	51,5
	72	IM	Schmider, Niklas	GER	2406	2406	2409	OSG Baden-Baden	6,5	51,5

Details

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