Go Unlimited with Magzter GOLD
Get unlimited access to 10,000+ magazines, newspapers and Premium stories for just
Try GOLD - Free
Grand Success, More In Store
The New Indian Express Villupuram
|August 17, 2025
HE Chennai Grand Masters event is here to stay.
Those were the words of Srinath Narayanan, the GM-turned tournament director, who willed the inaugural edition out of thin air in 2023. After two more editions, in 2024 and 2025, Narayanan is a relieved man as he has put the building blocks in place for India's biggest super tournament to become a permanent place in the calendar. On Friday, Narayanan and Sreekar Channapragada, the co-founder of MGD1, the competition's organisers, fielded a few questions from select media on a number of issues pertaining to the tournament's future and player feedback from this year. Excerpts:
On how the tournament went
Srinath: We are pretty happy and pleased, and felt everything went smoothly despite last-minute challenges (one of the players withdrew with days remaining and the tournament opener was pushed back by a day after a fire broke out). From the perspective of the fans, there was an overwhelming positive feedback. I heard so many people say how much they enjoyed it and how much they would like to be back. The fans get access to players for selfies and getting autographs... I know it happens in other tournaments as well. These things worked out well.
This story is from the August 17, 2025 edition of The New Indian Express Villupuram.
Subscribe to Magzter GOLD to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 10,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
MORE STORIES FROM The New Indian Express Villupuram
The New Indian Express Villupuram
Banks raise rates on NRI deposits, offer up to 6.6%
WITH the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announcing a dollar swap facility for Foreign Currency Non-Resident (Bank) [FCNR(B)] deposits, banks have raised interest rates by 300-350 basis points on dollar-denominated NRI deposits, with some offering as much as 6.6% for tenures of three to five years.
1 mins
June 12, 2026
The New Indian Express Villupuram
Sexual assault case: Udhaya & EPS want TVK MLA ousted from post
LEADER of Opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin on Thursday demanded the immediate removal of TVK’s Srivaikuntam MLA Saravanan from post and the party for allegedly backing functionaries accused of sexual assault.
1 min
June 12, 2026
The New Indian Express Villupuram
New norm stipulates 1 PET for 700 govt schoolkids, draws flak
THE school education department has set off the alarm bells by operationalising a controversial staffing norm that effectively provides just one Physical Education Teacher (PET) for up to 700 students in government high and higher secondary schools.
1 mins
June 12, 2026
The New Indian Express Villupuram
NCSC can’t adjudicate on land titles: Murasoli Trust
THE National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) does not have the powers to adjudicate on land titles and the complaint of occupying Panchami land is politically motivated, argued the Murasoli Trust before the Madras High Court.
1 mins
June 12, 2026
The New Indian Express Villupuram
PUBLISHING IN POST-TRUTH WORLD
IN 2014, Penguin Random House India (hereafter, Penguin for convenience) settled out of court with Dinanath Batra, the ageing general secretary of RSS school network Vidya Bharati and founder of an organisation committed to purging Indian education of foreign influences.
3 mins
June 12, 2026
The New Indian Express Villupuram
CONSERVATION BOOST FROM HISTORY MADE IN SIMILIPAL
WHEN Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi last week broke the news of Maharashtra-born tigress Zeenat giving birth to four cubs in the Similipal Tiger Reserve, he acknowledged a landmark in India’s conservation history.
1 mins
June 12, 2026
The New Indian Express Villupuram
Making US men’s football great
The world’s most popular sport has struggled to become mainstream in the US. While their women’s team are renowned, the men aren't elite. Swaroop Swaminathan takes a look at why they will be desperate to leave an imprint at this home World Cup...
3 mins
June 12, 2026
The New Indian Express Villupuram
Centre extends excise duty relief to petrol blended with higher ethanol
THE government on Thursday extended central excise duty exemptions to petrol blended with 22%, 25%, 27% and 30% ethanol.
1 mins
June 12, 2026
The New Indian Express Villupuram
HP shops & commercial establishments can stay open round the clock
SHOPS and commercial establishments across Himachal Pradesh will now be allowed to operate round the clock following amendments to the state’s labour laws.
1 mins
June 11, 2026
The New Indian Express Villupuram
Mahua liquor policy to fuel tribal eco in C’garh
THE Chhattisgarh government has initiated a programme to develop an industrial model for manufacturing mahua-based heritage liquor. Officials hope that it will boost tribal economy and leverage forest resources that exist aplenty.
1 mins
June 11, 2026
Listen
Translate
Change font size