“I thought I’d never win a chess game again,” said GM Matthias Bluebaum after beating World Champion Gukesh Dommaraju with Black in round nine of the 2026 Tata Steel Chess Masters. GM Jorden van Foreest demolished GM Vincent Keymer in just 26 moves and is joined half a point behind leader GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov by 14-year-old GM Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus, who outplayed GM Thai Dai Van Nguyen in time trouble. Defending Champion GM Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu finally grabbed a first win, in an 84-move endgame grind against GM Aravindh Chithambaram.
GM Andy Woodward took down GM Daniil Yuffa to grab the sole lead in the 2026 Tata Steel Chess Challengers after GM Marc’Andria Maurizzi lost to GM Max Warmerdam. GM Aydin Suleymanli is now in sole second place after defeating IM Faustino Oro, while IM Lu Miaoyi ended a sequence of six losses by defeating GM Velimir Ivic.
This is a flash report—come back later for full player quotes and analysis!
Round 10 starts on Wednesday, January 28, at 8 a.m. ET/ 14:00 CET / 6:30 p.m. IST.
Masters: Erdogmus, Van Foreest Climb To 2nd As Gukesh Struggles Continue
Coming back from the rest day we got four decisive games, including two tough losses for pre-tournament favorites.
Tata Steel Masters: Round 9 Results
GM Javokhir Sindarov drew with Abdusattorov and was caught in second place by Erdogmus and Van Foreest. It’s notable that the four rating favorites of the event, Keymer, Gukesh, GM Arjun Erigaisi, and Praggnanandhaa, are languishing on 4/9, or “minus one.”
Tata Steel Masters: Standings After Round 9
Our Game of the Day is Van Foreest putting Keymer to the sword in a game GM Rafael Leitao describes as a “masterpiece.”
Challengers: Andy Woodward Grabs Sole Lead
Five games were decisive in the Challengers, but it could have been all seven, since GMs Bibisara Assaubayeva and Vasyl Ivanchuk both had to pull off great escapes.
Tata Steel Challengers: Round 9 Results
Woodward’s incredible 7.5/8 pace since his first-round loss has finally taken him into the sole lead after Maurizzi lost. Suleymanli, who tied for first place in 2025, is now the closest pursuer with four rounds to go.
Tata Steel Challengers: Standings After Round 9
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.
Previous coverage:
