Abdusattorov & Niemann share lead @ Wijk aan Zee

GMs Nodirbek Abdusattorov & Hans Moke Niemann led the Masters section with 3.0 points after the fourth round of the 88th TATA Steel Chess tournament 2026 at the traditional De Moriaan Community Centre, Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands. Sharing the third spot with 2.5 points were the Grandmaster trio viz., Javokhir Sindarov, Jorden van Foreest and Erigaisi Arjun respectively. In the Challengers section, GM Aydin Suleymanli defeated latest talent from China IM Lu Miaoyi maintaining the lead with 3.5 points from four rounds.

In other games of the Masters section, World Champion Gukesh Dommaraju drew with fellow Indian GM Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu, while the games between GMs Anish Giri vs Erigaisi Arjun, Vladimir Fedoseev vs Jorden van Foreest and Erdogmus Yagiz Kaan vs Vincent Keymer ended in draws.

Picking up minor advantage with great efficiency, GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov handed Czech GM Nguyen Thai Dai Van his first defeat. The Petroff game saw GM Nguyen working hard for equality and just one slip closer to the first time control greatly compromised his position. The alert London Chess Classic 2025 winner pounced on the chance that rose in the queen and pawn ending sewing up the full point in 40 moves.

In another thrilling game Prague Masters winner GM Aravindh Chithambaram went down to GM Hans Moke Niemann in 55 moves. The Zukertort Opening game between the GMs from India and USA began sedately showing no indications of the excitement in store. With black going in for a queenside aggression white resorted to kingside pawn roll that fell short in the end. Niemann showed great imagination and enterprise going for a surprise queen sacrifice that went on to fetch him a fine win.

Niemann’s keen eye for tactics over the board was well appreciated by world class photographer Lennart Ootes who came up with the picture above.

The King’s Indian Defense known to have consumed multitude of Grandmasters accounted for fresh Candidates 2026 entrant Matthias Bluebaum in just 27 moves. A slight mis-step in the razor sharp middle game saw World Cup winner Javokhir Sindarov gate crash with double piece sacrifice settling the issue beyond doubt. The game turned out to be a fine dress rehearsal for Sindarov and an early warning for Bluebaum for their next encounter at Cyprus.

Not for nothing the great Danish legend Bent Larsen had said, “Normal people have to see Naples before they die…, but a chess Grandmaster has to win the Wijk aan Zee tournament first of all”. The three winning Grandmasters from the Masters section today would gladly confirm that.

Round five starts by Wednesday, 21st January at 8 AM ET/ 2 PM CET / 6:30 PM IST.

Pairings (Round 5): Niemann – Abdusattorov, Keymer – Aravindh, Sindarov – Erdogmus, van Foreest – Bluebaum, Erigaisi – Fedoseev, Pragg – Giri, Nguyen – Gukesh.

Results (Masters Round 4): Abdusattorov (3.0) beat Nguyen (1.5), Gukesh (2.0) drew with Praggnanandhaa (1.0), Giri (1.0) drew with Erigaisi (2.5), Fedoseev (2.0) drew with van Foreest (2.5), Bluebaum (2.0) lost to Sindarov (2.5), Erdogmus (2.0) drew with Keymer (1.5), Aravindh (1.5) lost to Niemann (3.0).

Results (Challengers Round 4):  Yip (2.5) beat Panesar (1.0), Woodward (3.0) beat Warmerdam (1.0), Suleymanli (3.5) beat Miaoyi (2.0), Oro (3.0) beat Roebers (0), Yuffa (2.5) drew with Assaubayeva (2.5), Ivanchuk (2.0) lost to L’Ami (1.0), Maurizzi (3.0) beat Ivic (1.0).

Nodirbek Abdusattorov (2751) – Nguyen Thai Dai Van (2656) 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. d4 d5 6. Bd3 Be7 7. O-O O-O 8. Re1 Nc6 9. c4 Nf6 10. c5 Bg4 11. Be3 Ne4 12. Be2 Bf6 13. h3 Bxf3 14. Bxf3 b6 15. Nd2 Re8 16. Nb3 a5 17. Rc1 b5 18. Na1 Ne7 19. Nc2 Nf5 20. Qd3 c6 21. Bf4 g6 22. Bxe4 dxe4 23. Rxe4 Qd5 24. Rce1 Rxe4 25. Qxe4 Qd7 26. Be5 Re8 27. Qf4 Bxe5 28. Rxe5 Rd8 29. Re4 h5 30. b3 Re8 31. Rxe8+ Qxe8 32. Ne3 Nxe3 33. fxe3 a4 34. e4 Qe6 35. Qf3 a3 36. Kf2 Qe7 37. Qe3 Qh4+ 38. Ke2 Qd8 39. Kd3 Qd7

40. Kc3 1-0

Matthias Bluebaum (2679) – Javokhir Sindarov (2726) 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Nf3 O-O 6. h3 a5 7. Be3 Na6 8. Bd3 e5 9. O-O exd4 10. Nxd4 Nc5 11. Bc2 Re8 12. f3 c6 13. Qd2 a4 14. Rad1 Qa5 15. Bf4 Ne6 16. Be3 Nh5 17. Nxa4 Nxd4 18. Bxd4 Bxd4+ 19. Qxd4 Qg5 20. Rd2 Nf4 21. Kh1 Qh6 22. Qxd6 Bxh3 23. gxh3 Re6 24. Qc5 Nd3 25. Rxd3 Qxh3+ 26. Kg1 Qg3+ 27. Kh1

27…g5 0-1

Aravindh Chithambaram V R (2700) – Hans Moke Niemann (2725) 1. Nf3 Nf6 2. g3 c5 3. Bg2 Nc6 4. c4 d5 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. Nc3 Nc7 7. O-O e5 8. a3 Rb8 9. d3 Be7 10. Nd2 Bd7 11. Nc4 f6 12. f4 b5 13. Ne3 O-O 14. f5 Nd4 15. g4 Kh8 16. Bd2 Be8 17. Ne4 Bf7 18. Bc3 b4 19. axb4 cxb4 20. Bd2 Bb3 21. Qe1 Ncb5 22. Rc1 Bg8 23. Rd1 a5 24. Kh1 Nb3 25. Nc4 Nxd2 26. Rxd2 b3 27. Qg3 a4 28. g5 a3 29. e3 fxg5 30. Nxe5 Rb6 31. bxa3 Nxa3 32. Rb2 Qe8 33. d4 Nc4 34. Rbb1 b2 35. Rf2 Qc8 36. Rc2 Nxe5 37. Rxc8 Rxc8 38. Nc5 Bxc5 39. Be4 Nc4 40. dxc5 Rxc5 41. Qf2 Nd6 42. Bc2 Bd5+ 43. Kg1 Ne4 44. Qe2 Nc3 45. Qd3 Nxb1 46. f6 Rxc2 47. Qxd5 gxf6 48. Qd8+ Kg7 49. Qe7+ Kg6 50. Qe8+ Kf5 51. Qd7+ Ke4 52. Qd4+ Kf3 53. Qd1+ Kxe3 54. Qxc2 Nd2 55. Qc5+

55…Ke2 0-1

Complete Results

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Photo courtesy: Lennart Ootes / TATA Steel Chess 2026