Chennai Grand Masters 2026: Pranesh stuns Gukesh, Nihal Sarin upsets Arjun Erigaisi in Round 6
Chennai, July 21
Indian Grandmaster M. Pranesh inflicted a second straight loss on world champion D Gukesh while GM Nihal Sarin defeated compatriot Arjun Erigaisi in the penultimate round of the fourth edition of the Chennai Grand Masters 2026, India's most prestigious classical chess tournament, at The Westin Chennai Velachery hotel in Chennai on Tuesday.
Erigaisi's defeat meant that French GM Alireza Firouzja, who drew his Round 6 game against GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov, is in sole lead with 4 points. Erigaisi and Abdusattorov are in joint second place with 3.5 points.
Organised by MGD1, the tournament witnesses eight grandmasters face off in a round-robin format and offers a prize purse of ₹ 75,00,000 and valuable FIDE Circuit points.
After Narendra Kumar, Managing Trustee of Chola Foundation, and WGM Aarthie Ramaswamy made the first ceremonial move, it looked like Gukesh could finally score a win. But the world champion erred more than once with his calculations, and Pranesh made the most of these opportunities to register his first win of the competition in 39 moves.
Erigaisi needed just a draw against Nihal Sarin to stay in joint lead with Firouzja, and for most of their game, that result looked a distinct possibility. But a brilliant rook sacrifice by Nihal turned the game decisively in his favour, and Erigaisi resigned after 60 moves.
Earlier on Monday, Erigaisi pounced on world champion Gukesh's errors to storm into joint lead after Round 5 in the fourth edition of the Quantbox Chennai Grand Masters 2026, India's most prestigious classical chess tournament, at The Westin Chennai Velachery Hotel on Tuesday, while GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov also registered a win with black to throw his hat in the title race.
With just two rounds left to play, Erigaisi is tied with French GM Alireza Firouzja on 3.5 points while Abdusattorov is half a point behind on 3.
Results (Round 6):
GM Hans Niemann (2.5) drew with GM Dmitry Andreikin (3)
GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov (3.5) drew with GM Alireza Firouzja (4)
GM Arjun Erigaisi (3.5) lost to GM Nihal Sarin (3)
GM M Pranesh (3) beat GM D Gukesh (1.5)
Pairings (Round 7):
GM D Gukesh vs GM Hans Niemann
GM Nihal Sarin vs GM M Pranesh
GM Alireza Firouzja vs GM Arjun Erigaisi
GM Dmitry Andreikin vs GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov
— IANS
Reader Comments
Gukesh seems to be in a bit of a slump after his world championship win. Hope he regains form soon. Meanwhile, Firouzja leading the pack shows why he's world No. 2. Tomorrow's round between Firouzja and Erigaisi will be crucial. Chess is truly thriving in India! 💪
As an American chess fan, I'm loving the level of competition here. India is producing so many super GMs now. Nihal's rook sacrifice reminded me of some classic Tal games. The Chennai Grand Masters is becoming a premier event on the chess calendar. Great coverage!
Chennai is truly the chess capital of India! The atmosphere at The Westin must be electric. Pranesh and Nihal showing that Indian chess isn't just about Gukesh and Erigaisi - we have bench strength too. But Gukesh needs to fix his calculation errors - world champions learn from losses. 🤔
₹75 lakh prize fund? That's impressive for an Indian chess tournament. Great to see corporate support like Chola Foundation stepping up. The competition is intense - Firouzja vs Erigaisi tomorrow could decide the title. Niemann vs Gukesh will also be interesting given their history.
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