Round one of the 2025 FIDE Grand Swiss ended with a high number of draws in the Open section while the Women\u2019s Grand Swiss delivered early drama as several top seeds were upset by lower-rated opponents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On board one, top-ranked player R Praggnanandhaa drew with Jeffery Xiong in the Exchange line of the French. \u201cGetting Jeffrey [former World Junior Champion] is unlucky, but everyone is strong here, and you don\u2019t really have easy games,\u201d said Praggnanandhaa after the game. The 19-year-old Indian shrugged off suggestions that he felt any pressure as the top-rated player in the tournament.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On board two, Arjun Erigaisi drew with Maksim Chigaev, while rising stars Ediz Gurel and Vincent Keymer split a point in the Ruy Lopez. GM Gabriel Sargissian \u2013 a highly successful member of the Armenian chess team \u2013 had a winning position against none other than Hans Niemann, but let the advantage slip into a draw.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Among the notable winners in round one was the World Champion Gukesh D who overcame the seasoned French GM \u00c9tienne Bacrot on the black side of the Caro-Kann. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Anish Giri defeated Armenia\u2019s Robert Hovhannisyan in the Najdorf line of the Sicilian.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The winner of the 2023 Grand Swiss, Vidit Santosh Gujrathi, also started with a victory against Alexander Donchenko, following time trouble. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Alireza Firouzja managed to score against Bassem Amin after the Egyptian GM made a crucial mistake in an equal endgame late in the round.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Uzbekistan\u2019s biggest hope in this tournament, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, defeated Serbia\u2019s Velimir Ivic. In the Najdorf, Abdusattorov created a passer on the a-file and gradually increased pressure on Black. The opponents traded mistakes in time trouble before the time control, but Velimir was last to err.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The first player to score victory in the 2025 Grand Swiss was Aydin Suleymanli from Azerbaijan. The 2609-rated Grandmaster prepared an opening surprise for Indian GM Murali Karthikeyan that included a queen sacrifice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The game between the winner of this year\u2019s Women\u2019s World Cup Divya Deshmukh and her Indian compatriot Puranik Abhimanyu brought the first real spark in the tournament. Early in the game, in the exchange line of the Queen\u2019s Gambit, the two played a rare continuation which initially seemed like a blunder:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Divya went on to create a strong position and dominate, but misplayed in time trouble and ended up losing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The other woman playing in the Open, Alexandra Goryachkina, lost as Black to Turkish prodigy, GM Erdogmus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n