Sharjah Masters: Giri and Indjic share the lead

by Carlos Alberto Colodro
5/21/2025 – Following round four of the Sharjah Masters, Anish Giri (pictured) and Aleksandar Indjic are sharing the lead with 3½ points. Ten players are in close pursuit, just half a point behind, including both pre-tournament favourites and lower-rated contenders. Meanwhile, 11-year-old Faustino Orocontinues to perform well against experienced opponents, as he has collected an undefeated 2½ score so far. | Photos: Himank Ghosh / ChessBase India
Your personal chess trainer. Your toughest opponent. Your strongest ally.
FRITZ 20 is more than just a chess engine – it is a training revolution for ambitious players and professionals. Whether you are taking your first steps into the world of serious chess training, or already playing at tournament level, FRITZ 20 will help you train more efficiently, intelligently and individually than ever before. 

Two co-leaders, ten chasers

After four rounds at the Sharjah Masters, Anish Giri and Aleksandar Indjic are sharing the lead with 3½ points. Giri, the second seed, has won three games and drew in round two against Karthik Venkataraman. Indjic, who won the 2024 European Championship, dropped half a point in round three when he was held to a draw by Visakh N R. Giri and Indjic are scheduled to face each other in round five, with Giri playing white in the match between co-leaders.

Ten players are half a point behind on 3/4, including the aforementioned Visakh, who remains the lowest-rated in the chasing group. Among the higher seeds in this pack are Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Parham Maghsoodloo and Amin Tabatabaei.

Faustino Oro, the 11-year-old Argentine competing as the penultimate seed, continues to impress. He has collected 2½ points from one win and three draws, all against opponents rated 2555 or above (the 'Messi of chess' currently has a 2454 rating). In round five, he will face Sergei Azarov, the 42-year-old Belarusian grandmaster ranked 20th in the tournament.

Aleksandar Indjic

Aleksandar Indjic during round four

Faustino Oro

Faustino Oro

Zemlyanskii 0-1 Giri

Ivan Zemlyanskii

Ivan Zemlyanskii

Standings after round 4

Rk. Name Pts. TB1
1 Giri, Anish 3,5 8,5
2 Indjic, Aleksandar 3,5 8,5
3 Visakh, N R 3 11
4 Dai, Changren 3 10,5
5 Theodorou, Nikolas 3 9
6 Maghsoodloo, Parham 3 8,5
7 Tabatabaei, M. Amin 3 8
8 Kozak, Adam 3 8
9 Amar, Elham 3 8
10 Woodward, Andy 3 8
11 Abdusattorov, Nodirbek 3 7
12 Daneshvar, Bardiya 3 6
13 Vetokhin, Savva 2,5 10
14 Aditya, Mittal 2,5 10
15 Sargsyan, Shant 2,5 9,5
16 Nikitenko, Mihail 2,5 9,5
17 Karthik, Venkataraman 2,5 9
18 Kacharava, Nikolozi 2,5 9
19 Nigmatov, Ortik 2,5 9
20 Salem, A.R. Saleh 2,5 8,5
21 Ivic, Velimir 2,5 8,5
22 Zemlyanskii, Ivan 2,5 8,5
23 Tin, Jingyao 2,5 8
24 Azarov, Sergei 2,5 8
25 Iniyan, Pa 2,5 8

...82 players

All available games

Links

Topics: Sharjah Masters 2025
Carlos Colodro is a Hispanic Philologist from Bolivia. He works as a freelance translator and writer since 2012. A lot of his work is done in chess-related texts, as the game is one of his biggest interests, along with literature and music.