Fire Disrupts Quantbox Chennai Grand Masters: Players Safe, Event Postponed by a Day
All players and officials were shifted to Hotel Pullman for the night. The players are expected to return to Hyatt Regency today, once the hotel is fully cleared and deemed safe.
- A fire broke out on the ninth floor of Hyatt Regency Chennai during the chess tournament
- All players, coaches, and officials were evacuated due to thick smoke in the hotel
- Round 1 of the Quantbox Chennai Grand Masters was postponed from August 6 to August 7
A fire at the Hyatt Regency Chennai on Tuesday night forced the emergency evacuation of all players and officials of the Quantbox Chennai Grand Masters 2025, India's premier classical chess tournament. According to reports, an electrical fire on the ninth floor led to thick smoke spreading through the hotel, making it difficult to breathe. All players in both the Masters and Challengers sections, along with coaches and officials, were quickly evacuated. A fire and rescue station officer said "Yes, there was a fire late night and our night teams rushed and extinguished. Ther was no loss of life".
"Close to midnight, the entire hotel became smoky and everyone had to evacuate. Initially there was confusion, but once it was clear that smoke clearing would take hours, the organisers took swift action," ChessBase India reported on X.
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
The organisers postponed Round 1 from August 6 to August 7, utilizing the originally planned rest day of August 11. As a result, there will be no rest day in the revised schedule.
All players and officials were shifted to Hotel Pullman for the night. The players are expected to return to Hyatt Regency today, once the hotel is fully cleared and deemed safe.
"We are relieved that all players are safe. We sincerely regret the inconvenience caused and assure everyone that safety remains our top priority," stated the tournament communications team in a statement.
Despite the disruption, anticipation remains high for the third edition of the Quantbox Chennai Grand Masters, which will see 10 Masters and 10 Challengers compete for Rs 1 crore in prize money and critical FIDE points between August 6 and 15.