GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov felt he played his best game yet as he defeated GM Vincent Keymer with Black to take a one-point lead as we cross the halfway mark of the 2026 Tata Steel Chess Masters. World Champion Gukesh Dommaraju slumped to a second loss in a row, this time to GM Anish Giri, while another local hero GM Jorden van Foreest outplayed GM Aravindh Chithambaram. 14-year-old GM Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus won a second game in a row, against world number-five GM Arjun Erigaisi.
GM Marc’Andria Maurizzi swindled IM Eline Roebers in a losing position to win and catch GM Andy Woodward in the 2026 Tata Steel Chess Challengers lead. Woodward was held to a draw by GM Aydin Suleymanli, while GM Vasyl Ivanchuk scored the day’s only other win, inflicting a fifth loss in a row on IM Lu Miaoyi.
This is a flash report—come back later for full player quotes and analysis!
Round eight starts on Sunday, January 25, at 8 a.m. ET/ 14:00 CET / 6:30 p.m. IST.
Masters: Abdusattorov Extends Lead; Giri, Van Foreest, Erdogmus Also Win
Tata Steel Masters: Round 7 Results
Once again there were four wins in the Masters, while GM Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu vs. GM Matthias Bluebaum was a thriller, featuring Praggnanandhaa sacrificing a whole rook.
That saw Abdusattorov extend his lead over GM Javokhir Sindarov to a full point, while Erdogmus and Van Foreest joined the tie for third place, another half a point back.
Tata Steel Masters: Standings After Round 7
Our Game of the Day is Keymer-Abdusattorov, which featured an exotic opening, a razor-sharp middlegame, and brilliant conversion by Abdusattorov. GM Dejan Bojkov will analyze the game below.
Challengers: Maurizzi Catches Woodward In Lead
For once we had a much quieter day in the Challengers, with only two wins.
Tata Steel Challengers: Round 7 Results
Maurizzi lived very dangerously but has now caught Woodward in the lead, after the U.S. grandmaster’s five-game winning streak was finally ended by third-placed Suleymanli.
Tata Steel Challengers: Standings After Round 7
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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