Chess Thrillers: Humpy’s Triumph, Magnus’ Perfection, and Aswath’s Breakthrough – Ep 17

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Hello, everyone! Welcome to episode 17 of Chess Times - A Chess Gaja Podcast, where we explore the biggest and most thrilling stories happening in the chess world right now.

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We’re coming at you with a packed episode today—grandmasters clashing, prodigies rising, and even Magnus doing Magnus things... again.

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No time to waste—let’s jump right into it!

GM Priyadharshan Kannappan

The Pune Women’s Grand Prix wrapped up in dramatic fashion. If you thought chess couldn’t be thrilling, this final round said, “Hold my bishop.”

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Haha, seriously! Both Humpy Koneru and Zhu Jiner took wins in their final games, putting them neck-and-neck in the standings.

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But with points level, it came down to tiebreaks—Humpy clinched the title. A phenomenal comeback, considering the doubts swirling around her classical form lately.

GM Priyadharshan Kannappan

Exactly. It’s like when a queen sacrifice turns out to be a brilliancy—her whole tournament was that kind of redemption arc.

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Meanwhile, Divya Deshmukh—only 19 years old—secured third place with a crucial draw. India’s women’s chess scene is absolutely buzzing right now.

GM Priyadharshan Kannappan

And Zhu Jiner fans—don’t worry. She’s still in the mix for Candidates qualification through the final Grand Prix leg. The story is far from over.

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Let’s jet off to Rhodes, Greece, where the World Junior Championships in Blitz and Rapid brought young stars into the spotlight.

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This event was non-stop. Eleven rounds of high-speed chess over five days—it was like the Formula 1 of the chessboard.

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Gold medals? Kazakhstan came out on top, showing serious depth in their youth pipeline.

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And the best part? Kids were playing even in between rounds. Blitz games at breakfast, analysis over lunch—it was pure chess energy.

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Honestly, the future of chess is so bright with this generation. And they’re going to keep pushing the limits.

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Alright, we have to talk about Magnus Carlsen. The man just went full boss mode at the 2025 Grenke Freestyle Open—9 wins in 9 games.

GM Priyadharshan Kannappan

That’s perfection, people. Not just a clean sheet—but in Chess960 no less!

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Right! For those unfamiliar, Chess960—or Fischer Random—shuffles the back rank. It removes opening theory, meaning raw chess intuition takes over.

GM Priyadharshan Kannappan

And Magnus just dominated. He even took down Vincent Keymer, who many expected to challenge him. But nope—Magnus rolled through like a pawn promotion on steroids.

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Seven players tied for second though, and they’ll battle it out in tiebreaks to try and qualify for the Grand Slam. But still... that’s a long shadow to play in.

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Speaking of shadows—Aswath S., the Indian teenager, stepped right out of it and into the spotlight. What a performance!

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He was seeded 38th going in, and walked out the winner of the Grenke Open with 8 out of 9 points.

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Three grandmasters beaten in one tournament? That’s not just luck—that’s form, preparation, and sheer guts.

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GM title incoming? You better believe it. Aswath is knocking on the door.

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Quick shoutout to Megan Paragua—she notched a performance rating of 2506 during the Grenke event, which makes her eligible for the FIDE Master title. That’s huge.

GM Priyadharshan Kannappan

Between Paragua, Aswath, and Magnus, Germany became ground zero for chess brilliance this month.

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Alright, folks, that’s a wrap for this episode of Chess Times! Thank you so much for tuning in and geeking out about all these amazing chess moments with us. We’ll catch you next time, so stay sharp and keep those pawns protected. Bye, everyone!