GM Javokhir Sindarov looked to have spoiled a win against 14-year-old GM Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus but went on to grind out a 74-move victory that saw him join GMs Hans Niemann and Nodirbek Abdusattorov in the 2026 Tata Steel Chess Masters lead. GM Vladimir Fedoseev pulled off a stunning win over GM Arjun Erigaisi after a risky opening, while World Champion Gukesh Dommaraju goes into the rest day with a first win, over GM Thai Dai Van Nguyen. GM Vincent Keymer also struck, getting back to 50 percent by beating GM Aravindh Chithambaram.
12-year-old IM Faustino Oro sacrificed two exchanges to beat IM Lu Miaoyi and enter a three-way tie for the 2026 Tata Steel Chess Challengers lead on 4/5 after GM Aydin Suleymanli was held to a draw by GM Max Warmerdam. The other leader is GM Andy Woodward, who has now won four games in a row after a first-round defeat. Elsewhere there was a first win for IM Eline Roebers, against GM Daniil Yuffa, while IM Carissa Yip took down GM Velimir Ivic.
This is a flash report—come back later for player quotes and analysis!
Round six starts on Friday, January 23, at 8 a.m. ET/ 14:00 CET / 6:30 p.m. IST.
Masters: Sindarov Catches Leaders
Tata Steel Masters: Round 5 Results
It was the most decisive day yet in the Masters, with four wins.
Tata Steel Masters: Standings After Round 5
The leaders drew their head-to-head clash, which allowed Sindarov to catch them, while Fedoseev and Gukesh’s wins take them to within half a point.
Our Game of the Day (featuring the Move of the Day!) is Fedoseev’s wild win over Arjun, which GM Dejan Bojkov analyzes below.
Challengers: Oro, Woodward Catch Suleymanli In Lead
We also got four wins in the Challengers, including a first for Roebers after a tough start.
Tata Steel Challengers: Round 5 Results
Those results left us with a three-way tie for first place, with Oro and Woodward joining Suleymanli in the battle to top the table and qualify for the 2027 Masters.
Tata Steel Challengers: Standings After Round 5
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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