Tata Steel Chess: Niemann and Abdusattorov grab wins, share the lead

An eventful round

Round four of the Tata Steel Masters proved to be one of the most eventful days so far, with three games ending decisively and two others hanging in the balance until late.

Entering the round as part of a five-player leading group, Hans Niemann and Nodirbek Abdusattorov both scored full points to move clear at the top of the standings. After four rounds, the two share the lead on 3 points out of 4. The third winner of the day was Javokhir Sindarov, who now forms part of a three-player chasing group on 2½/4, half a point behind the leaders.

Two further games came close to producing decisive results. In a tricky endgame, Vladimir Fedoseev missed a major opportunity against Jorden van Foreest. After Van Foreest’s blunder with 38…c4?, White could have won with the precise sequence 39.Rxh5 Kf7 40.Rc5.

Instead, Fedoseev opted for 39.Rxh5 Kf7 40.Rg5?, targeting the g-pawn and overlooking his best chance on the final move before reaching the time control – Fedoseev was not at all in time trouble, as he had close to 23 minutes on the clock before making his 40^th move.

Elsewhere, Arjun Erigaisi was unable to convert an extra pawn in a rook endgame while playing black against Anish Giri, and that game also ended in a draw.

Round 4 results

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Jorden van Foreest

Jorden van Foreest escaped with a draw on Tuesday | Photo: Nils Rohde

Arjun Erigaisi

Arjun Erigaisi failed to convert his extra pawn into a win | Photo: Nils Rohde

The most spectacular victory of the round was achieved by Niemann, who won with the black pieces against Aravindh Chithambaram.

From a strategically rich opening and early middlegame, Niemann secured a powerful pawn duo on the queenside. Aravindh chose an ambitious plan involving kingside pawn advances while largely neglecting counterplay on the queenside, an imbalance that soon worked in Black’s favour.

With his position already clearly superior, Niemann displayed notable tactical awareness by opting for 36…Nxe5!! – objectively the strongest move in the position – sacrificing his queen in exchange for a rook and a knight.

This precise decision removed any remaining defensive resources and allowed Niemann to convert his advantage smoothly. After a very short win in round one and two quiet draws in rounds two and three, this marked Niemann’s first victory with black in the tournament. He will now face Abdusattorov with the white pieces in round five, a direct encounter between the two co-leaders and the final round before the first rest day in Wijk aan Zee.

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Hans Niemann

Hans Niemann having a conversation with long-time Tournament Director Jeroen van den Berg | Photo: Nils Rohde

Abdusattorov’s win was more technical in nature, but no less convincing. Facing Thai Dai Van Nguyen, the lowest-rated player in the Masters field, Abdusattorov applied steady pressure in a positional struggle arising from a Petroff Defence.

Nguyen had begun the event solidly with three consecutive draws, but this time he was unable to maintain the balance. Abdusattorov gradually improved his position, limited his opponent’s counterplay and converted his advantage in a controlled manner.

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Thai Dai Van Nguyen, Nodirbek Abdusattorov

Thai Dai Van Nguyen facing Nodirbek Abdusattorov | Photo: Nils Rohde

The remaining decisive game saw Sindarov defeat Matthias Bluebaum in a contest with clear Candidates implications, as the two are scheduled to meet again in March at the Candidates Tournament in Cyprus.

Bluebaum, who had come into the round after a high-profile win over top seed Vincent Keymer, was tempted into capturing what appeared to be a “free” pawn on the queenside, a decision which proved incorrect.

From that moment on, Sindarov seized the initiative and began to pose increasingly difficult problems. The game ultimately hinged on a single tactical miscalculation by Bluebaum on move 24, after which his position collapsed and Sindarov converted without further complications.

Javokhir Sindarov

Javokhir Sindarov | Photo: Tata Steel Chess / Lennart Ootes

Standings after round 4

All games

Suleymanli wins again, leads

Round four of the Challengers tournament followed the pattern set in the previous round, with all but one of the games ending decisively. And for the second consecutive day, Aydin Suleymanli finished the round as the sole leader. He is the only player in either section of the tournament to have scored three wins and a draw, reaching an impressive 3½ points out of 4.

Suleymanli’s latest victory came with the white pieces against Lu Miaoyi. The game simplified into a slightly favourable endgame featuring a bishop, a knight and two pawns per side.

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Although the material was balanced, Suleymanli gradually improved his pieces and converted his small edge with careful endgame technique. The result allowed him to extend his lead over a tightly packed chasing group.

Lu Miaoyi, Aydin Suleymanli

Lu Miaoyi has so far scored two wins and two losses, while Aydin Suleymanli is the sole leader in the Challengers standings | Photo: Nils Rohde

Three players trail Suleymanli by half a point on 3/4, and all three recorded wins with White in round four: Marc’Andria Maurizzi, Andy Woodward and Faustino Oro. Notably, Suleymanli is the oldest among the four players at the top at 20 years of age, while Maurizzi (18), Woodward (15) and Oro (12) continue to underline the strength and depth of the emerging generation competing in Wijk aan Zee.

One particularly noteworthy result came from a clash between two experienced players, as Erwin l’Ami defeated Vasyl Ivanchuk with the black pieces. The win marked a significant turnaround for the Dutch GM, who had lost his first three games of the tournament. Ivanchuk, by contrast, had entered the round in good spirits after defeating Velimir Ivic the previous day, but was unable to carry that momentum forward.