Representative image: Janhavi Soneji has become joint-leader in the All-India Chess Masters. | Photo Credit: Getty Images

Janhavi Soneji defeated tournament leader Reyaansh Venkat in a crucial round seven encounter to throw the title race wide open heading into the final round of the All-India Chess Masters, here on Friday.

Playing with black pieces, Janhavi displayed excellent composure in a tense strategic battle and capitalised on her opportunities in the middlegame to hand Reyaansh his first defeat of the tournament.

The victory moved Janhavi into joint lead.

Former leader AGM Rajveer Pinkesh Nahar bounced back strongly with an important victory over top seed Shreyansh Somaiya, while Mayuresh Parkar defeated higher-rated Shardul Kadam Aditya in another major result on the top boards.

A closely-fought encounter between Kush Ajay Agarwal and Samvid Pasbola ended in a draw, keeping both players in contention going into the final round.

Among other notable performances, Gaurang Bhandari defeated Pradhyumna Amit Mishra, while Yash Kapadi scored a valuable win over Dhruv Muthe.

Promising youngster Vihaan Ravi Rao continued his impressive run with a victory over Samar Singh Pragnay, while Raaghav Agarwal defeated Neev Nirav Bafna in a competitive encounter.

Further down the boards, Om Nilesh Deorukhakar defeated Tejas Tiwari and AFM Aryan Sista scored an important win against Shravya Gavand.

With one final round remaining, multiple players remain in contention for the title, setting up an exciting finish to one of Mumbai’s strongest classical chess events.

Published on May 28, 2026