A fire broke out on the night of August 5, 2025, at the Hyatt Regency hotel in Chennai. The fire began on the ninth floor, filling the hotel with thick smoke.
Because of this, all the players, coaches, and officials at the Quantbox Chennai Grand Masters chess tournament had to leave the hotel quickly for their safety. Thankfully, the fire was put out fast, and no one was hurt.
Because of the smoke and safety concerns, the first round of the chess tournament, which was planned for August 6, was delayed by one day to August 7. To make up for this, the rest day that was supposed to happen on August 11 was cancelled. The players stayed safely at a nearby hotel called Hotel Pullman overnight and will go back to Hyatt Regency once it is safe.
The Quantbox Chennai Grand Masters is a big chess tournament in India. The 2025 event is the third time it is happening. There are 20 players in total 10 in the Masters group and 10 in the Challengers group. They play nine rounds for a prize of ₹1 crore (10 million rupees) and important points that help them qualify for the world chess championship.
Many top chess players from India and other countries are playing. Some names are India’s Arjun Erigaisi, Netherlands’ Anish Giri, Germany’s Vincent Keymer, and players from the USA like Awonder Liang.
Other notable Indian players are Vidit Gujrathi, Nihal Sarin, Karthikeyan Murali, and Pranav Venkatesh. The Challengers group has young stars like Abhimanyu Puranik, Harika Dronavalli, and Vaishali Rameshbabu.
Even with the delay, the tournament will start on August 7 at 2:00 PM IST each day. The schedule was changed to keep the competition strong and to keep everyone safe.
The Chennai Grand Masters has become one of the most important chess events in India. It brings players from all over the world. Despite the fire incident, the tournament will show exciting games and great battles between chess champions.
To sum up, the fire caused a one-day delay, but no one was injured. The tournament will continue without a rest day to make up for lost time. The 2025 Quantbox Chennai Grand Masters remains a top chess event in India with fans all around watching closely.