Janhavi Soneji Stuns Leader Reyaansh Venkat To Open Up Title Race In Mumbai Chess Event

Mumbai, May 27: Round 7 of the All India Chess Masters – Season 4 produced thrilling results on the top boards as Janhavi Soneji (1792) defeated tournament leader Reyaansh Venkat (1906) in a crucial encounter, throwing the title race wide open heading into the final round at the Mumbai Chess Centre, hosted at the Russian Centre for Science and Culture, Pedder Road, Mumbai.

Playing with the black pieces, Janhavi displayed excellent composure in a tense strategic battle and capitalized on her opportunities in the middlegame to hand Reyaansh his first defeat of the tournament. The victory moved Janhavi into joint lead contention and became the biggest talking point of the round.

Former leader AGM Rajveer Pinkesh Nahar (1801) bounced back strongly with an important victory over top seed Shreyansh Somaiya (1973), while Mayuresh Parkar (1781) defeated higher-rated Shardul Kadam Aditya (1917) in another major result on the top boards.

A closely fought encounter between Kush Ajay Agarwal (1835) and Samvid Pasbola (1729) ended in a draw, keeping both players in contention going into the final round.

Among other notable performances, Gaurang Bhandari (1889) defeated Pradhyumna Amit Mishra (1498), while Yash Kapadi (1854) scored a valuable win over Dhruv Muthe (1619).

Promising youngster Vihaan Ravi Rao (1725) continued his impressive run with a victory over Samar Singh Pragnay (1519), while Raaghav Agarwal (1660) defeated Neev Nirav Bafna (1521) in a competitive encounter.

Further down the boards, Om Nilesh Deorukhakar (1726) defeated Tejas Tiwari (1507), and AFM Aryan Sista (1658) scored an important win against Shravya Gavand (1524).

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.

Organized by Mumbai Chess Centre, the All India Chess Masters – Season 4 continues to showcase high-quality competitive chess and emerging young talent from across the country.

Top Results – Round 7

Reyaansh Venkat (1906) [6] 0-1 Janhavi Soneji (1792) [5½]

AGM Rajveer Pinkesh Nahar (1801) [5] 1-0 Shreyansh Somaiya (1973) [5]

Shardul Kadam Aditya (1917) [5] 0-1 Mayuresh Parkar (1781) [5]

Kush Ajay Agarwal (1835) [5] ½-½ Samvid Pasbola (1729) [5]

Gaurang Bhandari (1889) [4½] 1-0 Pradhyumna Amit Mishra (1498) [4]

Yash Kapadi (1854) [4½] 1-0 Dhruv Muthe (1619) [4½]

Vihaan Ravi Rao (1725) [4½] 1-0 Samar Singh Pragnay (1519) [4]

Neev Nirav Bafna (1521) [4½] 0-1 Raaghav Agarwal (1660) [3½]

Om Nilesh Deorukhakar (1726) [4] 1-0 Tejas Tiwari (1507) [3½]

Shravya Gavand (1524) [4] 0-1 AFM Aryan Sista (1658) [4]