Srihari L R and Rohith Krishna share the lead with Aleksandrov and Duc Hoa at 16th Chennai GM

The 16th Chennai Open International Grandmasters Chess Tournament 2026 has reached its final day. Round 9, which concluded on January 8, 2026, has brought the battle for the Sakthi Group Dr. N. Mahalingam Trophy to a photo finish. With four players tied at 7.5 points, the math is simple: a win almost guarantees a share of the first-place, while a draw will leave the title to the tie-breaks. On board 1 in 9th round GM Rohith Krishna S and GM Aleksandrov Aleksej played a draw and both of them are on 7.5/9 now while on board 2 GM Srihari LR won against Dhananjay S to catch the leaders and he is co leading with 7.5/9 points and on board 3 we saw GM Nguyen Duc Hoa of Vietnam winning against Vandan Alankar Sawai to reach 7.5/9 points. In the last round, Rohith Krishna S will be playing against Nguyen Duc Hoa, while Srihari LR will be taking on IM Mayank Chakraborty, and Aleksandrov Aleksej will play against Indian GM Deepan Chakkravarthy. The final round, Round 10, takes place today, January 9. Photo Credit: IA S. Paul Arokia Raj