The Tata Steel Masters 2026 began dramatically in Wijk Aan Zee, Netherlands, after a delayed start caused by environmental activists’ protest.
Chess fans witnessed nearly five hours of thrilling action in the opening round of the world’s oldest super tournament.
Top seed Arjun Erigaisi scored a convincing victory over compatriot R. Praggnanandhaa. Playing the Queen’s Gambit Accepted, Erigaisi capitalised on an early error when Praggnanandhaa’s king got stuck in the centre. Erigaisi seized the opportunity and wrapped up the game in just 32 moves.
World champion D. Gukesh fought hard against World Cup winner Javokhir Sindarov of Uzbekistan. Gukesh employed the Queen’s Gambit Declined and even sacrificed his queen stylishly to push for victory. Sindarov resisted resourcefully, and the longest game of the day ended in a draw after 78 moves.
The first victory of the tournament came from Hans Moke Niemann of the United States. He spotted an optical blunder by Slovenian Vladimir Fedoseev and forced his resignation as early as move 16. Vincent Keymer of Germany also won, defeating Dutch star Anish Giri.
After round one, Erigaisi, Niemann, and Keymer share the lead with one point each. They sit half a point ahead of Gukesh and seven others.
Among other Indians, Aravindh Chithambaram drew against Germany’s Matthias Bluebaum, who will feature in the upcoming Candidates tournament. Bluebaum stayed solid in the Catalan opening, and the game ended after 41 moves.
Elsewhere, Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus of Turkey drew with Nodirbek Yakubboev of Uzbekistan, while Jorden van Foreest of Holland split points with Thai Dai Van Nguyen of the Czech Republic.
