The two favourites deliver on expectations

The 2025 edition of the Stepan Avagyan Memorial was held from 29 May to 6 June at the Jermuk Ashkarh Health Centre in Jermuk, Armenia. Marking its sixth iteration, the event once again brought top-level chess to the mountain spa town. The tournament followed a single round-robin format with ten participants, using a classical time control of 90 minutes for the first 40 moves and an additional 30 minutes for the remainder of the game, with a 30-second increment from move one.

Indian grandmaster Aravindh Chithambaram emerged as the winner after tying for first place with compatriot Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu on 6½/9 points, each remaining unbeaten with four wins and five draws. The two highest-rated players in the field - both over the 2700 mark - delivered on expectations, finishing ahead of the rest of the field. Aravindh secured the title on tiebreaks.

Endgame essentials you need to know Vol.1 & Vol 2

In this video course, GM Surya Ganguly joins IM Sagar Shah and drawing from his colossal experience, shares some uncommon endgame wisdom. The material mostly features positions with rook against rook and a pawn, and starts by covering the fundamentals.

This result capped off a period of remarkable progress for the 25-year-old. After starting 2024 with a rating of 2662, Aravindh had already gained significant ground through strong performances, including victory at the Prague Masters in March and key wins in the German League. His 8.8-point gain in Jermuk pushed his live rating to 2758, placing him ninth in the world, his first appearance inside the global top 10.

The tournament also carried weight for the 2025 FIDE Circuit, which determines spots for future Candidates cycles. Aravindh's performance moved him up to second place in the standings, overtaking all but Praggnanandhaa - the very player he shared first with in Jermuk. With both Indians in excellent form, the Circuit standings are shaping up to be closely contested as the season continues.

Aravindh Chithambaram, Vaibhav Suri (Pragg's second) and Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu | Photo: Harshit Raja

In round three, Aravindh scored a 27-move victory over Chinese grandmaster Xu Xiangyu. Out of a sharp, theoretical line of the Nimzo-Indian Defence, Xu underestimated his opponent's attacking potential on the kingside, and had to resign after playing 27...e5

Xu surely realised that Aravindh would find 28.Rh8+, winning on the spot, and decided to throw in the towel.

How to Avoid Mistakes and Boost Your Winning Rate

Doesn’t every chess game get decided by mistakes? Absolutely. But most players never truly comprehend that they are making the same kind of mistakes over and over again.

All participants of the 6^th Stepan Avagyan Memorial with GM FST Smbat Lputian (ARM), Vice President of the Armenian Chess Federation | Photo: Chess Academy of Armenia

Final standings

All games

Links

• Official website
• Arjun Erigaisi dominates Stepan Avagyan Memorial (2024)
• Sam Sevian wins strong Stepan Avagyan Memorial (2023)
• Amin Tabatabaei clinches title at the Stepan Avagyan Memorial (2022)