Chennai:
The third edition of the Quantbox Chennai Grand Masters 2025, India’s most prestigious classical chess tournament, faced an unexpected disruption after a fire broke out late Tuesday night at the Hyatt Regency Chennai, the official venue for the event.
According to initial reports, an electrical fire on the ninth floor led to the rapid spread of thick smoke throughout the hotel premises, making it difficult to breathe and prompting immediate evacuation of all occupants. Players from both the Masters and Challengers sections, along with coaches, officials, and staff, were swiftly evacuated by hotel personnel and emergency responders.
A fire broke out in the Hyatt Regency Hotel where the Chennai Grand Masters was due to take place. All the players are safe and have been moved to another hotel, but the 1st round has been postponed until Thursday, August 7 pic.twitter.com/vlLs8nh4OO
— chess24 (@chess24com) August 5, 2025
A senior fire and rescue officer confirmed the incident:
“Yes, there was a fire late last night and our night teams rushed to the scene and extinguished it. There was no loss of life.”
ChessBase India, reporting from the venue, shared on social media platform X:
“Close to midnight, the entire hotel became smoky and everyone had to evacuate. Initially, there was confusion, but once it became clear that smoke clearing would take hours, the organisers took swift action.”
Close to midnight there was an emergency in Hotel Hyatt Regency in Chennai. Due to an electric fire on the 9th floor, the entire hotel became smoky and everyone had to evacuate the hotel before it became difficult to breathe.
All the players of Chennai Grand Masters in the… pic.twitter.com/nBqTRc45zW
— ChessBase India (@ChessbaseIndia) August 6, 2025
Round 1 Postponed; Schedule Adjusted
In light of the incident, the tournament organisers have postponed Round 1, originally scheduled for August 6, to August 7. The originally planned rest day on August 11 will now be used for gameplay, meaning the revised schedule will run continuously through to August 15 with no break day.
All players and officials were temporarily relocated to Hotel Pullman for the night. They are expected to return to the Hyatt Regency later today once authorities confirm the building is fully cleared and safe for occupancy.
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Organisers Prioritise Safety
In an official statement, the tournament’s communications team reassured the public and participants:
“We are relieved that all players are safe. We sincerely regret the inconvenience caused and assure everyone that safety remains our top priority.”
Despite the disruption, the Quantbox Chennai Grand Masters 2025 continues to generate excitement. The event will feature 10 Masters and 10 Challengers competing for a prize pool of Rs.1 crore and valuable FIDE rating points. The tournament runs from August 6 to 15, now with an uninterrupted schedule.
As the chess world looks to Chennai, a city renowned for its passion for the sport, all eyes will be on how the players bounce back from the unexpected drama off the board.
