The Week in Chess

1. 88th Tata Steel 2026 - Games and Results

   The 88th Tata Steel Chess tournament took place in Wijk aan Zee Fri 16th Jan to Sun 1st Feb 2026. Players: Masters: Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus, Aravindh Chithambaram, Hans Niemann, Vincent Keymer, Javokhir Sindarov, Jorden van Foreest, Arjun Erigaisi, Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu, Van Nguyen Thai Dai, Gukesh Dommaraju, Anish Giri, Vladimir Fedoseev, Matthias Bluebaum and Nodirbek Abdusattorov.

   Challengers: Vasyl Ivanchuk, Marc Andria Maurizzi, Velimir Ivic, Erwin l'Ami, Bibisara Assaubayeva, Eline Roebers, Miaoyi Lu, Max Warmerdam, Panesar Vedant, Andy Woodward, Aydin Suleymanli, Faustino Oro, Daniil Yuffa and Carissa Yip.

   Nodirbek Abdusattorov won the Masters, Andy Woodward the Challengers and the top Amateur group was won by Christian Gloeckler. Woodward will play in the Masters next year and Gloeckler the Challengers.

2. Abdusattorov beats Erigaisi to win the Tata Steel Masters - 13

   Nodirbek Abdusattorov took clear first in the Tata Steel Masters 2026. This is his second major victor in a row after winning the London Chess Classic, that followed a disaster at the Sinquefield Cup in August last year where he finished last.

   Abdusattorov was unsurprisingly very happy to win this year having come so close to winning the tournament several times in recent years. He said winning this tournament was a childhood dream. Abdusattorov had a half point lead and he beat Arjun Erigaisi in convincing style on the black side of an Evans Gambit. The result relegated Erigaisi to 13th place a terrible result for a player of his class. Javokhir Sindarov managed to squeeze out a win against Thai Dai Van Nguyen and finished in clear second place. Jorden Van Foreest had good winning chances against Praggnanandhaa but failed to convert in the end, he was on the same score was Hans Moke Niemann and Vincent Keymer but took 3rd on tie-break.

   My thanks to Michiel Abeln for his help with notes and photos throughout the tournament.

   In the Challengers Andy Woodward won in the final round against Erwin L'Ami to qualify for next year's Masters event, his rivals for this place for much of the time were Marc'andria Maurizzi and Aydin Suleymanli but losses toward the end cost them. Instead it was Vasyl Ivanchuk who scored 6 wins and 2 draws in his final 8 rounds and he took second place half a point behind the winner.

   Final Standings Masters: 1st Nodirbek Abdusattorov 9pts, 2nd Javokhir Sindarov 8.5pts, 3rd Jorden Van Foreest 7.5pts, 4th Hans Moke Niemann 7.5pts, 5th Vincent Keymer 7.5pts, 6th Matthias Bluebaum 7pts, 7th Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus 7pts, 8th Anish Giri 6.5pts, 9th Vladimir Fedoseev 6.5pts, 10th D Gukesh 6.5pts, 11th R Praggnanandhaa 5.5pts, 12th Chithambaram V Aravindh 4.5pts, 13th Arjun Erigaisi 4.5pts, 14th Thai Dai Van Nguyen 3pts.

   Final Standings Challengers: 1st Andy Woodward 10pts, 2nd Vasyl Ivanchuk 9.5pts, 3rd Aydin Suleymanli 9pts, 4th Marc'andria Maurizzi 8pts, 5th Bibisara Assaubayeva 7.5pts, 6th Faustino Oro 7pts, 7th Carissa Yip 7pts, 8th Max Warmerdam 6.5pts, 9th Velimir Ivic 6pts, 10th Daniil Yuffa 5.5pts, 11th Erwin L'ami 5pts, 12th Vedant Panesar 4pts, 13th Miaoyi Lu 3.5pts, 14th Eline Roebers 2.5pts.

3. Abdusattorov takes a half point lead into the final round of the Tata Steel Masters - 12

   Nodirbek Abdusattorov beat Matthias Bluebaum in Round 12 of the Tata Steel Masters to take a half point lead into the final round of the Tata Steel Masters. Abdusattorov was sharing the lead with his fellow-countryman Javokhir Sindarov who took a quick draw against Praggnanandhaa, he has a final round game against Thai Dai Van Nguyen who has lost his last four rounds, but Nguyen has had winning positions in some of these games. Nguyen has clearly been outclassed but been very game, time trouble in coping with the problems he's been set has been a major issue. Nguyen qualified for this last year, he probably won't play such an event again I think he'll be motivated tomorrow. Abdusattorov faces Erigaisi in the final round, last year the same player ruined his chances in Round 12.

   This has been a brutal event with very few draws. Bluebaum has impressed and could have been leading but his game against Abdusattorov was settled by a very bad blunder. He was hardly alone, Hans Moke Niemann sacrificed a piece against Gukesh no doubt reasoning that he had to win, he was totally busted instead and somehow Gukesh allowed him to escape with a draw, twice, he messed it up, was given a final chance and missed that too.

   Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus recovered from two losses in a row by beating Vladimir Fedoseev, but his opponent probably hasn't played a worse game in a very long time. Anish Giri confessed to missing an awful lot in his draw against Chithambaram Vr. Aravindh. Vincent Keymer eventually beat Thai Dai Van Nguyen, he probably can't win the event but will be looking to win again against Gukesh.

   I was playing chess all day, my thanks to Michiel Abeln for the photos, most of the annotations and the basis of the summary below.

   Aydin Suleymanli leads on tie-break from Andy Woodward, both have 9pts, going into the final round of the Challengers, Vasyl Ivanchuk has an outside chance half a point further back. Woodward-L'Ami, Yuffa-Ivanchuk and Suleymanli-Ivic are the key pairings.

   Round 12 Standings: 1st Abdusattorov 8pts, 2nd Sindarov 7.5pts, 3rd= Niemann, Keymer, Van Foreest 7pts, 6th= Erdogmus, Bluebaum 6.5pts, 8th= Gukesh, Giri 6pts, 10th Fedoseev 5.5pts, 11th Praggnanandhaa 5pts, 12th= Aravindh, Erigaisi 4.5pts and 14th Nguyen 3pts.

   Round 13 Sat 1pm 31st Jan 2026. Erigaisi-Abdusattorov, Praggnanandhaa-Van Foreest, Nguyen-Sindarov, Gukesh-Keymer, Giri-Niemann, Fedoseev-Aravindh and Bluebaum-Erdogmus.

4. Sindarov joins Abdusattorov in the lead of the Tata Steel Masters with two rounds to go - 11

   Javokhir Sindarov won a sharp game against Arjun Erigaisi, Sindarov got a winning advantage on the run up to move 40 but things were still very tricky and it was only after 52.Re4? that he was winning. In the meantime the leader Nodirbek Abdusattorov had a calm draw against Jorden Van Foreest.

   Hans Moke Niemann took a huge amount of risks against the struggling Thai Dai Van Nguyen, although the engine says he was losing at various points Nguyen's desperate time trouble was enough to justify his approach. 40.f4? left Niemann winning, 42...b2? gave Nguyen a final chance but after 43.Kf2? he was lost.

   Anish Giri won a sharp calculating game against Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus, 23...Ba6? was the losing move. Vincent Keymer beat Praggnanandhaa, 25.Nd6? was the move that started the trouble.

   Vladimir Fedoseev and Matthias Bluebaum drew in 66 moves, it seemed pretty accurate. Gukesh couldn't convert a winning advantage against Chithambaram Aravindh.

   My thanks to Michiel Abeln for the photos and notes.

   In the Challengers Andy Woodward bounced back from his loss to Vasyl Ivanchuk to beat Marc'andria Maurizzi. Woodward leads on 8.5/11 by half a point from Vasyl Ivanchuk and Aydin Suleymanli. Ivanchuk beat Suleymanli today.

   Round 11 Standings: 1 Sindarov, Abdusattorov 7pts, 3 Niemann, Van Foreest, Bluebaum 6.5pts, 6 Keymer 6pts, 7 Erdogmus, Gukesh,Giri, Fedoseev 5.5pts, 11 Praggnanandhaa 4.5pts, 12 Aravindh, Erigaisi 4pts, 14 Nguyen 3pts.

   Round 12 Sat 1pm 31st Jan 2026. Abdusattorov-Bluebaum, Erdogmus-Fedoseev, Aravindh-Giri, Niemann-Gukesh, Keymer-Nguyen, Sindarov-Praggnanandhaa, Van Foreest-Erigaisi.

5. Abdusattorov leads on 6.5/10 Sindarov, Van Foreest and Bluebaum are in the chasing pack - 10

   Nodirbek Abdusattorov continues to lead the Tata Steel Masters by half a point after the tenth round. Abdusattorov hasn't won a game since Giri beat him in Round 8 but no-one has caught him yet, today there was a draw against Vladimir Fedoseev where both players enjoyed the advantage at one stage or another.

   Discussion today has centred around why there have been so many errors with both Keymer and Gukesh talking about it. A combination of the youth and ambition of the field combined with the first time control with no increment has probably contributed.

   In second place Jorden Van Foreest and Javokhir Sindarov played each other and drew a well played game, they're now joined by Matthias Bluebaum who was confronted with an aggressive Anish Giri who played the Modern Defence, Giri was doing fine according to the engine until 15...h5? which relied on a cute tactical point that actually fails on move 21, long line wrong line as Larsen used to say.

   14 year old Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus seemed to be making a run but was upset today by World Champion Gukesh, that said Gukesh avoided a likely draw with 24...Bb3 with another long sequence that was actually wrong, the quiet 28.Rad1 would have won for Erdogmus, as it was he lost an endgame.

   In the battle of the tail-enders Chithambaram Aravindh won a game against Thai Dai Van Nguyen where he was completely busted for some time. Vincent Keymer beat Arjun Erigaisi in a game where the Indian played a poor opening and just suffered until he lost. Hans Niemann had a brief chance against Praggnanandhaa but didn't take advantage and drew again.

   My thanks to Michiel Abeln for five annotated games and the photos.

   Aydin Suleymanli leads the Challengers, he beat Daniil Yuffa whilst previous leader Andy Woodward ran into the curse of Vasyl Ivanchuk.

   Round 10 Standings: 1st Abdusattorov 6.5pts, 2nd= Sindarov, Van Foreest, Bluebaum 6pts, 5th= Erdogmus, Niemann 5.5pts, 7th= Keymer, Gukesh, Fedoseev 5pts, 10th= Praggnanandhaa, Giri 4.5pts, 12th Erigaisi 4pts, 13th Aravindh 3.5pts, 14th Nguyen 3pts

   Final Rest Day Thurs 10th Jan

   Round 11 Fri 30th 1pm Jan 2026: Van Foreest-Abdusattorov, Erigaisi-Sindarov, Praggnanandhaa-Keymer, Nguyen-Niemann, Gukesh-Aravindh, Giri-Erdogmus, Fedoseev-Bluebaum.

6. Abdusattorov draws against Sindarov in Tata Steel Masters Round 9 to keep a half point lead - 9

   Nodirbek Abdusattorov continues to lead the Tata Steel Masters with a score of 6pts/9 after drawing with closest rival Javokhir Sindarov. However there is now more of a chasing pack on 5.5pts following wins for Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus over Thai Dai Van Nguyen and Jorden Van Foreest who absolutely crushed Vincent Keymer in a sharp London System.

   The travails of Gukesh continue when he was thoroughly outplayed by Matthias Bluebaum who is now a point off the lead alongside Hans Moke Niemann who now hasn't won since round 4. The final game to finish saw Praggnanandhaa beat Chithambaram Aravindh in a major piece endgame that seems to me likely to be worth studying.

   Round 9 Standings: 1st Abdusattorov 6pts, 2nd= Erdogmus, Sindarov, Van Foreest 5.5pts, 5th= Niemann, Bluebaum 5pts, 7th= Giri, Fedoseev 4.5pts 9th= Keymer, Erigaisi, Praggnanandhaa, Gukesh 4pts, 13th Nguyen 3pts and 14th Aravindh 2.5pts.

   Round 10 Wed 28th 1pm Jan 2026: Abdusattorov-Fedoseev, Bluebaum-Giri, Erdogmus-Gukesh, Aravindh-Nguyen, Niemann-Praggnanandhaa, Keymer-Erigaisi and Sindarov-Van Foreest.

7. Nodirbek Abdusattorov still leads the Tata Steel Masters with 5.5/8 even after losing to Anish Giri - 6

   The Tata Steel Masters reached its second rest day with Nodirbek Abdusattorov leading by half a point over fellow Uzbek Javokhir Sindarov. Abdusattorov had the disappointment of losing to Anish Giri, he almost pulled off a miracle save but failed at the last hurdle. Sindarov drew against Vincent Keymer, maybe Keymer had a small chance in the opening but otherwise it was a steady draw.

   The only other decisive game of the day was Gukesh's fine win against Vladimir Fedoseev. There was uncompromising chess from both players but in the end it was Gukesh that brought home the full point. Matthias Bluebaum spent several minutes at the board trying to come to terms with how he botched a winning position on the board and clock against Thai Dai Van Nguyen and allowed his opponent to escape with a draw.

   The other drawn games were Hans Moke Niemann against Jorden Van Foreest where the American had a significant advantage at one stage, Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus was close to winning against Praggnanandhaa just before first time control and Chithambaram Aravindh escaped from a very bad position against Arjun Erigaisi.

   There was a bloodbath in Round 8 of the Challengers with only the final game to finish ending in a draw. MarcAndria Maurizzi who beat Miaoyi Lu and Andy Woodward who defeated Faustino Oro lead the event with 6.5/8 half a point clear of Aydin Suleymanli. Vasyl Ivanchuk is half a point further back, he had about a half dozen moves to make against Max Warmerdam in only a few seconds but once he did he forced resignation.

   Round 8 Standings: 1st Abdusattorov 5.5pts 2nd Sindarov 5pts 3rd= Erdogmus, Niemann, Van Foreest 4.5pts 6th= Keymer, Gukesh, Giri, Fedoseev, Bluebaum 4pts 11th Erigaisi 3.5pts 12th= Praggnanandhaa, Nguyen 3pts 14th Aravindh 2.5pts

   Rest Day Monday 26th January 2026

   Round 9 1pm Tuesday 27th Jan 2026: Sindarov-Abdusattorov, Van Foreest-Keymer, Erigaisi-Niemann, Praggnanandhaa-Aravindh, Nguyen-Erdogmus, Gukesh-Bluebaum and Giri-Fedoseev.

8. Abdusattorov leads the Tata Steel Masters by a point after beating Keymer in Round 7 - 7

   Nodirbek Abdusattorov extended his lead of the Tata Steel Masters after defeating Vincent Keymer in Round 7 to move to 5.5/7 a point clear of fellow countryman Javokhir Sindarov who drew with Hans Moke Niemann.

   Anish Giri beat World Champion Gukesh who was probably still unstable after his shocking Round 6 blunder. Teenager Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus moved into a share of third with an impressive win against Arjun Erigaisi. Thai Dai Van Nguyen drew with Vladimir Fedoseev and Praggnanandhaa drew a wild game with Matthias Bluebaum.

   MarcAndria Maurizzi has joined Andy Woodward in the lead with 5.5/7 after his five game winning run came to an end with a draw against third placed Aydin Suleymanli. Looking like these three may be the ones to fight for first although Vasyl Ivanchuk and Faustino Oro lie a further half point back.

   My thanks to Michiel Abeln for the photos and short notes to five of the games, I've added extra notes using Stockfish.

   Round 7 Standings: 1st Abdusattorov 5.5pts, 2nd Sindarov 4.5pts 3rd= Erdogmus, Niemann, Van Foreest, Fedoseev 4pts, 7th= Keymer, Bluebaum 3.5pts, 9th= Erigaisi, Gukesh, Giri 3pts, 12th= Praggnanandhaa, Nguyen 2.5pts, 14th= Aravindh 2pts.

   Round 8 pairings Sunday 1pm: Abdusattorov-Giri, Fedoseev-Gukesh, Bluebaum-Nguyen, Erdogmus-Praggnanandhaa, Aravindh-Erigaisi, Niemann-Van Foreest, Keymer-Sindarov.