🏆 Stepan Avagyan Memorial 2025: Indian Domination and World-Class Chess Lessons
The 6th Stepan Avagyan Memorial 2025, held in the scenic town of Jermuk, Armenia, concluded on June 6, 2025. This classical 9-round round-robin event brought together ten elite grandmasters from around the globe. The result? 🔥 An all-Indian top two finish with GM Aravindh Chithambaram and GM R Praggnanandhaa leading the charge.
Let’s take a look at how each player performed — and what we can learn from them!
🥇 Aravindh Chithambaram – 6.5/9 🇮🇳
💪 Champion! Calm, confident, and undefeated.
Aravindh’s play was precise and mature. He won his last- round game under pressure — proving he thrives when it matters most. This is his third consecutive super tournament victory, following Chennai 2024 and Prague 2025.
📘 Lesson: Never lose your nerve. Finish strong and study how to handle must-win situations!
🥈 R Praggnanandhaa – 6.5/9 🇮🇳
🧠 Runner-Up on Tiebreaks – but equally impressive!
Pragg was solid as a rock — unbeaten and full of energy. His play was a perfect mix of aggression and control. He tied with Aravindh but missed out on first place due to tiebreaks.
📘 Lesson: Consistency pays off. Learn from Pragg how to stay unbeaten and apply pressure across the board.
🥉 Dmitrij Kollars – 5.0/9 🇩🇪
🛡️ Mr. Solid – drew 8 games, won 1, lost none.
The German GM showed how to hold his ground against fierce competition. While not flashy, his technique was admirable.
📘 Lesson: Learn how to neutralize stronger players. Master defensive technique and accurate calculation.
4️⃣ Samuel Sevian – 4.5/9 🇺🇸
⚖️ King of Draws – 9 games, 9 draws!
The American GM was impossible to beat. He played safe but never pushed too hard.
5️⃣ Jonas Buhl Bjerre – 4.5/9 🇩🇰
🎯 Precise and Practical
Jonas’s one win and one loss showed his balanced style. He didn't panic and took every chance when it came.
6️⃣ Nodirbek Yakubboev – 4.0/9 🇺🇿
⚔️ Fighter Spirit
Nodirbek played sharp and didn’t back down. He took some risks, and while it didn’t always pay off, he showed ambition.
7️⃣ Benjamin Gledura – 4.0/9 🇭🇺
🎭 The Wall
With eight draws, Gledura was hard to crack. Though he couldn’t convert positions into wins, he never gave away easy points.
8️⃣ Aram Hakobyan – 3.5/9 🇦🇲
🎲 Risk-Taker
Aram played sharp lines and tried to fight every round. His final-round loss to Aravindh ended his tournament on a low, but he gave it his all.
9️⃣ Robert Hovhannisyan – 3.5/9 🇦🇲
🔁 Balanced but Bumpy
Robert played a mix of classical and aggressive chess. He lacked the breakthrough moments but stayed in the fight.
🔟 Xu Xiangyu – 3.0/9 🇨🇳
🧩 Struggled but Showed Grit
Xu couldn’t find his rhythm in this event. Despite the challenges, he drew most of his games and fought till the end.
📽️ Bonus: Watch the Action
🎥 Stepan Avagyan Memorial 2025 | Final Round Recap
🔗 Stepan Avagyan Memorial 2025 – Chess.com
📝 Written by: Hritiq Charan
📍 Chess lover from Tamil Nadu, India 🇮🇳 | FIDE & Online Rated | Sharing chess journeys, one blog at a time ♟️
