Abdusattorov (9/13) wins TATA Steel Masters 2026
GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov secured the 88th TATA Steel Masters 2026 title with a powerful 9/13 show at the traditional De Moriaan Community Centre, Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands. Right behind Abdusattorov came the FIDE World Cup Goa winner GM Javokhir Sindarov with 8.5 points. Rising American talent GM Andy Woodward won the Challengers section with 10.0 points edging out legendary GM Vasyl Ivanchuk who took the second place with a whopping 9.5/13 performance. As the winner of the Challengers section, 15-year-old GM Woodward from Frisco, Texas now graduates to the Masters section in the next edition of TATA Steel Chess 2027.
With six wins, six draws and a single loss the London Chess Classic winner came up with a stunning ELO 2862 rating performance etching his name among the legendary past champions of Wijk aan Zee popularly known as the “Wimbledon of chess”. A solitary loss to TATA Steel Ambassador GM Anish Giri would do no harm to Nodirbek’s reputation as his coveted title here is fully deserved. Not one to be left far behind was the champion’s countryman GM Javokhir Sindarov. The FIDE World Cup Goa winner came up four wins and nine draws remaining the only undefeated play left in the event. Add up to that a shining ELO 2833 performance and you have a true warrior to cross at the forthcoming Candidates in Cyprus.
In a well fought final round GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov defeated Indian Grandmaster Erigaisi Arjun, while GM Javokhir Sindarov beat Czech GM Nguyen Thai Dai Van and Russian Slovenian GM Vladimir Fedoseev prevailed over Indian GM Aravindh Chithambaram. Other games between GMs Gukesh vs Keymer, Giri vs Niemann, Pragg vs van Foreest, Bluebaum vs Erdogmus ended in draws.
For the quartet of Indian Grandmasters viz., world champion Gukesh Dommaraju, Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu, Erigaisi Arjun and Aravindh Chithambaram, it was a below par tournament performance to contemplate and move over with greater strength of mind to face their next assignments.
The chess caravan now moves from Wijk aan Zee to Weissenhäus, a Baltic Sea resort in northern Germany, where the first official FIDE Freestyle Chess World Championship is scheduled to take-off on Friday, 13th February, 2026.
Image Courtesy: https://x.com/tatasteelchess
Final Rankings (Masters): 1. Nodirbek Abdusattorov (Uzbekistan) 9.0, 2. Javokhir Sindarov (Uzbekistan) 8.5, 3-5 Jorden van Foreest (Netherlands), Hans Moke Niemann (USA), Vincent Keymer (Germany) 7.5, 5-6 Matthias Bluebaum (Germany), Erdogmus Yagiz Kaan (Turkey) 7.0, 8-10 Anish Giri (Netherlands), Vladimir Fedoseev (Slovenia), Gukesh Dommaraju (India) 6.5, 11. Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu (India) 5.5, 12-13 Aravindh Chithambaram, Erigaisi Arjun (both India), 14. Nguyen Thai Dai Van (Czech Republic) 3.0 pts
Final Rankings (Challengers): 1. Andy Woodward (USA) 10.0, 2. Vasyl Ivanchuk (Ukraine) 9.5, 3. Aydin Suleymanli (Azerbaijan) 9.0, 4. Marc’Andria Maurizzi (France) 8.0, 5. Bibisara Assaubayeva (Kazakhstan) 7.5, 6-7 Faustino Oro (Argentina), Carissa Yip (USA) 7.0, 8. Max Warmerdam (Netherlands) 6.5, 9. Velimir Ivic (Serbia) 6.0, 10. Daniil Yuffa (Spain) 5.5, 11. Erwin L’Ami (Netherlands) 5.0, 12. Vedant Panesar (India) 4.0, 13. Lu Miaoyi (China) 3.5, 14. Eline Roebers (Netherlands) 2.5 pts
Results (Masters Round 13): Gukesh (6.5) drew with Keymer (7.5), Giri (6.5) drew with Niemann (7.5), Nguyen (3.0) lost to Sindarov (8.5), Erigaisi (4.5) lost to Abdusattorov (9.0), Pragg (5.5) drew with van Foreest (7.5), Bluebaum (7.0) drew with Erdogmus (7.0),Fedoseev (6.5) beat Aravindh (4.5).
Results (Challengers Round 13): Panesar (4.0) lost to Assaubayeva (7.5), Woodward (10.0) beat L’Ami (5.0), Warmerdam (6.5) drew with Roebers (2.5), Yuffa (5.5) lost to Ivanchuk (9.5), Miaoyi (3.5) lost to Yip (7.0), Suleymanli (9.0) lost to Ivic (6.0), Oro (7.0) drew with Maurizzi (8.0)
Arjun Erigaisi (2775) – Nodirbek Abdusattorov (2751) 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. b4 Bxb4 5. c3 Ba5 6. d4 d6 7. Qb3 Qd7 8. O-O Bb6 9. Nbd2 Na5 10. Qc2 Nxc4 11. Nxc4 Qc6 12. Nxb6 axb6 13. dxe5 dxe5 14. Nxe5 Qe6 15. f4 Nf6 16. c4 O-O 17. Bb2 Qe7 18. a4 Nd7 19. Nf3 f6 20. Rfe1 Nc5 21. e5 f5 22. Nd4 Ne6 23. Nxf5 Qf7 24. Ne3 Nxf4 25. Nd5 Be6 26. Nxf4 Qxf4 27. Rad1 Rad8 28. Rxd8 Rxd8 29. Bc1 Qh4 30. Re4 Qe7 31. Re3 Qc5 32. h3 Rd4 33. Ba3 Rd1+ 34. Kf2 Rf1+ 35. Kxf1 Qxe3 36. Bb2 Qc5 37. Ke2 Bxc4+ 38. Kd2 Qf2+ 39. Kc3 Qxc2+ 40. Kxc2 Kf7 41. e6+ Kxe6 42. Bxg7 Bf1 43. g3 Bxh3 44. Kc3 Kd5 45. Kb4 Bf1 46. Bf6 c5+ 47. Kb3 b5 48. axb5 Bxb5 49. Be7 Kc6 50. Bf6 Be2 51. Be7 b5 52. Bf6 b4 53. Ka4 Kb6 54. Bd8+ Ka6 55. Kb3
55…Bd3 0-1
Official Site: https://tatasteelchess.com/en
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tatasteelchess
Photo courtesy: Jurriaan Hoefsmit / Lennart Ootes / TATA Steel Chess 2026
