Asian Chess Championship 2025: An Exciting Finish

Al Ain, UAE – The Asian Individual Chess Championship 2025 concluded on May 15 with 18-year-old Iranian Grandmaster Bardiya Daneshvar claiming the title on tiebreak after a thrilling final-round battle. Despite losing to top seed GM Nihal Sarin in the final round, Daneshvar’s stellar performance secured him the gold in a packed field. While Bardiya had the title to embrace, the Indian wrote his own redemption by winning his final three rounds against strong Grandmasters, to finish tied first.

The nine-round Swiss event, held from May 7-15 in Al Ain, had the all-important 10 FIDE World Cup spots at stake. The tournament saw Daneshvar lead with 7 points out of 8 by Round 8, almost confirming his title with a round to spare. The Iranian went 3/3 against the strong Indian opposition until he faced the Indian beast of Nihal. Meanwhile, Nihal, the No. 1 seed, staged a remarkable comeback, winning his final three games to tie Daneshvar at 7 points. Sarin’s surge included his precise positional win over GM Rinat Jumabayev in Round 7, followed by two clinical wins against GM Sethuraman and the Iranian Champion in the finale, exploiting a middlegame misstep. However, tiebreak criteria favoured Daneshvar, whose earlier consistency clinched the title.

While Nihal Sarin managed to improve his rating by 3 Elo points, inching back to 2700, Bardiya Daneshvar gained a massive +19, closing in at his career high rating of 2640!

While the tournament is still in its conclusive phase, some of the players who have confirmed their ticket to Batumi World Cup include – Bardiya Daneshvar, Nihal Sarin, S L Narayanan, Ivan Zemlyanskii, Rithvik Raja, Pranesh M, P. Iniyan

Photo credit: Asian Chess Federation