GM Matthias Bluebaum has crossed 2700 and moved to second place in the 2026 Tata Steel Chess Masters after winning a wild 25-move game against GM Anish Giri. GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov still leads by half a point going into the final weekend, while further down the table World Champion Gukesh Dommaraju struck after GM Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus missed a hidden winning blow. GM Vincent Keymer also bounced back to beat GM Arjun Erigaisi, while GM Aravindh Chithambaram scored his first win, despite finding himself in a losing endgame against GM Thai Dai Van Nguyen.
GM Vasyl Ivanchuk shook things up in the 2026 Tata Steel Chess Challengers by taking down leader GM Andy Woodward, who was caught by GM Marc’Andria Maurizzi (who beat FM Panesar Vedant) and overtaken by GM Aydin Suleymanli (who beat GM Daniil Yuffa). Ivanchuk is a point behind Suleymanli, but plays him in Friday’s round 11.
This is a flash report–come back later for full player quotes and analysis!
Round 11 starts on Friday, January 30, at 8 a.m. ET / 14:00 CET / 6:30 p.m. IST.
Masters: Bluebaum Crosses 2700; Gukesh, Keymer, Aravindh Also Grab Wins
Once again there were four decisive games in the Masters, with the rollercoaster continuing for Keymer (eight decisive games) and Gukesh (six decisive games in a row).
Tata Steel Masters: Round 10 Results
Bluebaum moved up to second place after GMs Javokhir Sindarov and Jorden van Foreest made a draw against each other. Six players are within a point of the leader.
Tata Steel Masters: Standings After Round 10
Challengers: Ivanchuk Puts Cat Among The Pigeons
Ivanchuk’s defeat of leader Woodward was one of five decisive games in round 10 of the Challengers, while GM Velimir Ivic vs. GM Max Warmerdam was a 131-move marathon.
Tata Steel Challengers: Round 10 Results
It’s all change at the top, with Suleymanli taking the lead, Maurizzi catching Woodward in second, and Ivanchuk lurking just another half-point back going into the final three rounds.
Tata Steel Challengers: Standings After Round 10
Ivanchuk’s crucial win over Woodward is our Game of the Day, which GM Rafael Leitao has analyzed below.
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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