World Cup winner GM Javokhir Sindarov pulled off a 78-move great escape against World Champion Gukesh Dommaraju to bring a dramatic first day of the 2026 Tata Steel Chess Masters to a close. The first moves were delayed 1.5 hours by a protest outside the venue, and some players seemed shaken as GMs Vladimir Fedoseev, Anish Giri, and Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu all blundered early on to give wins to GMs Hans Niemann, Vincent Keymer, and Arjun Erigaisi respectively.
The 2026 Tata Steel Chess Challengers started slower but ultimately produced four wins, including GM Bibisara Assaubayeva taking down GM Andy Woodward and 14-year-old IM Lu Miaoyi overcoming GM Max Warmerdam.
Round two starts on Sunday, January 18 at 8:00 a.m. ET/ 14:00 CET / 6:30 p.m. IST.
This is a flash report—come back later for player quotes and analysis!
Masters: Gukesh Thwarted On Day Of Early Blunders
Tata Steel Masters: Round 1 Results
On a day of huge early blunders, Sindarov vs. Gukesh was a huge fight that Gukesh looked set to win in brilliant style until he was thwarted at the very end. That’s our Game of the Day, which GM Dejan Bojkov will analyze below.
Challengers: Assaubayeva, Lu Score Upset Wins
Tata Steel Challengers: Round 1 Results
It was a tough day for the home favorites in the Challengers, as all three Dutch players lost.
How To Watch
The 88th edition of Tata Steel Chess takes place January 17-February 1, 2026, in Wijk aan Zee, the Netherlands. Both the Masters and Challengers groups are 14-player round-robin tournaments. The time control is 120 minutes for 40 moves followed by 30 minutes to the end of the game, with a 30-second increment only from move 41. No draw offers are allowed before move 40.
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