Published: July 11, 2026 at 6:05 pm
Iniyan Panneerselvam produced yet another masterclass to triumph at the 6th La Plagne Open International Chess Tournament in France. The Indian Grandmaster delivered an unbeaten performance in the Masters category.
Iniyan scored 7.5 points from nine rounds to claim the title in the La Plagne Open, which concluded on Friday. It had featured 142 players from 20 countries, including 13 Grandmasters and 22 International Masters.
The 23-year-old chess player from Tamil Nadu remained unbeaten, registering six wins and three draws to finish as the clear winner. After receiving a first-round walkover and drawing his second-round game, Iniyan steadily built momentum with two consecutive wins.\
The victory marks Iniyan’s fourth tournament title this year and his second classical chess title of 2026. Pics: X/Instagram
After another draw in Round 5, Iniyan sealed the title with three successive victories, including crucial wins over GM Luca Moroni of Italy, who finished third, and IM Danyil Mosesov of Ukraine, who secured the runner-up spot.
Heading into the final round with a one-point lead, the Indian Grandmaster needed only a draw to confirm the title. He comfortably achieved the result by drawing his final-round game against fellow Indian and IM Aronyak Ghosh.
Aronyak finished joint third alongside Diptayan Ghosh, with both players scoring 6.5 points.
The victory marks Iniyan’s fourth tournament title this year and his second classical chess title of 2026.
Earlier this year, Iniyan had clinched double gold after winning both the Rapid and Blitz titles at the Commonwealth Chess Championship in Sri Lanka. The Tamil Nadu player scored 6.5 points from seven rounds in each format to emerge champion in both sections.
