The twelfth chess grandmaster, Magesh Panchanathan one after tying, reached the first place in the $180,000 33rd World Open chess event at Philadelphia held on July 4, 2005. From the nine rounds, Panchanathan scored 7.5 points in the 204 player event. He obtained his third and final International Grandmaster norm. After winning the Asian Junior Championship held in Sri Lanka in the year 2003, he earned his first GM norm. Just months earlier at the 6th Open International Chess Championship of Montenegro, held on March, he finished his second norm at Bar in Serbia 4-12th, 2005.

Magesh Panchanathan was born in the year 1983 in the Indian city of Madurai. Magesh Panchanathan presently doing his graduation at the University of Texas, Dallas. When he was asked how did he developed the interest in chess, he replied " I saw my dad playing and got the interested in the game. My father taught me a few moves and my brother taught me a few moves, and I just liked the game." His current FIDE rating is 2486 and the highest rating achieved is 2572. His chess career spans from 2004 to 2007. The most notable game played by him took place in the year 2006 against E Varshavsky. Panchanathan won by 1-0. He has won the Game of the Week in Week 8, 2006.