Nodirbek Abdusattorov drew his final game against Hans Niemann on March 6 and won the Prague Masters 2026 with 6/9. The draw was enough. The player who had been leading since Round 8 finished a full point clear of a three-way tie for second place.
This is his second supertournament title in 30 days. He won Tata Steel on February 1 with 9/13. He has won Prague on March 6 with 6/9. In between, he finished third at the Freestyle Chess World Championship. Abdusattorov is the most in-form player in classical chess right now, and the Prague Masters 2026 final standings confirm it.
For India, the tournament produced one high and one low. Aravindh Chithambaram finished third with 5/9, beating David Navara in the final round to secure his best supertournament result of 2026. Gukesh Dommaraju finished last with 3.5/9, his only win coming in the final round against the tournament’s bottom-placed player.
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Photo: Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Final Standings
| Place | Player | Country | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nodirbek Abdusattorov | Uzbekistan | 6/9 |
| 2 | Parham Maghsoodloo | Iran | 5/9 |
| 3 | Aravindh Chithambaram | India | 5/9 |
| 4 | Jorden van Foreest | Netherlands | 5/9 |
| 5 | David Navara | Czech Republic | 4.5/9 |
| 6 | Nodirbek Yakubboev | Uzbekistan | 4.5/9 |
| 7 | Vincent Keymer | Germany | 4/9 |
| 8 | Hans Niemann | USA | 4/9 |
| 9 | Gukesh Dommaraju | India | 3.5/9 |
| 10 | David Anton Guijarro | Spain | 3.5/9 |
Via Chess-Results official standings.
Round 9 Results
The final round, played March 6 at Hotel Don Giovanni Prague:
- Abdusattorov vs Niemann: Draw (1/2-1/2)
- Maghsoodloo vs Van Foreest: Maghsoodloo won (1-0)
- Aravindh vs Navara: Aravindh won (1-0)
- Keymer vs Yakubboev: Yakubboev won (0-1)
- Anton Guijarro vs Gukesh: Gukesh won (0-1)
Via Lichess Round 9 broadcast.
The decisive result for the tournament title was Maghsoodloo’s win over Van Foreest. Van Foreest needed a win to close to 6/9 and at least force a tiebreak with Abdusattorov; he didn’t get it. Maghsoodloo, sitting in 4th place entering the final round, won his game and jumped to sole second on tiebreak.
Abdusattorov: Two Titles in 30 Days
Abdusattorov entered Prague as the Tata Steel champion. He left as the Prague Masters champion.
The timeline: Tata Steel concluded February 1 (Abdusattorov, 9/13, clear first). Freestyle Chess World Championship February 13-15 (Abdusattorov, 3rd, losing to Carlsen in the semi-final bracket). Prague Masters February 25 to March 6 (Abdusattorov, 6/9, clear first).
Three events. One month. Clear first in two of them.
His Prague performance was built on consistency rather than a single breakout stretch. He led the field from Round 5 onward, shared the lead with Van Foreest through Round 7, then took sole lead in Round 8 with a win over David Navara. In the final round, a draw was all he needed and he took it cleanly.
The 22-year-old from Uzbekistan was the former World Rapid Champion (the youngest ever, at 17, in 2021). His classical chess has now matched his rapid level, which is what Tata Steel established and Prague confirmed.
“Winning two classical supertournaments in one month shows something special. This result means a lot to me — I worked hard this winter and I am happy with how I played.” — Nodirbek Abdusattorov, post-tournament interview, Prague, March 6, 2026
The Final-Round Collapse: Van Foreest Finishes Fourth
Jorden van Foreest led the tournament for most of nine rounds. He entered the final round in second place with 5/8, needing a win to tie Abdusattorov.
He lost to Maghsoodloo.
Van Foreest’s closing two rounds defined a tournament where he did most things right for seven rounds and then had consecutive losses in rounds 8 and 9. He lost to Aravindh in Round 8 and to Maghsoodloo in Round 9. Both results moved other players past him.
He finishes fourth with 5/9 on tiebreak, behind Maghsoodloo (2nd) and Aravindh (3rd), despite having led clear in the middle of the tournament. His was the strongest performance of any player who did not win.
Aravindh: 3rd Place After 12th at Tata Steel
Three weeks separated Aravindh Chithambaram’s worst result of 2026 and his best.
At Tata Steel, he finished tied 12th of 14 with 4.5/13. At Prague, he finished 3rd of 10 with 5/9. The reversal is one of the sharper swings in form seen over two consecutive supertournaments.
His Prague run included a Round 6 win over Gukesh that was widely covered as the India chess story of the week. In the final round, he beat David Navara to secure 3rd place outright.
Aravindh’s Prague result is context for his Tata Steel result, and vice versa. The player who finished 12th in January is the same player who finished 3rd in March. The bad tournament does not define the form; the bounce back does.
“Abdusattorov right now is probably the most dangerous player in classical chess outside of Carlsen. Two titles in a month — that is not a hot streak, that is a statement.” — Alejandro Ramirez, GM and Chess.com commentator, on Abdusattorov’s February–March 2026 run
Full Aravindh Chithambaram career profile on Shatranj Live.
Maghsoodloo: The Quiet Second Place
Parham Maghsoodloo of Iran entered the final round in 4th place, tied with Aravindh and Keymer at 4/8. He beat Van Foreest in the final round to jump to 5/9 and finished 2nd on tiebreak ahead of Aravindh and Van Foreest.
Maghsoodloo’s Prague was consistent without being spectacular before Round 9. The final-round win against the tournament’s most prominent contender for first place was his defining game.
Gukesh: Last Place, One Win, Public Apology
Gukesh Dommaraju finished 9th of 10 at Prague Masters 2026, tied for last with David Anton Guijarro at 3.5/9.
His only win came in Round 9 against Anton Guijarro, who finished last on tiebreak. Through eight rounds, Gukesh had not won a single game.
After Round 6, Gukesh addressed the form slump publicly: “I have been playing badly here. The couple of chances I got, I didn’t use. What to say, bad tournament.” He also apologized to fans, acknowledging that his mood had affected how he interacted with supporters at the venue, explaining he normally signs autographs and takes photos but had not been doing so during Prague.
He has dropped to world #20 on the live rating list after Prague, down from #9 entering 2026.
This is the second consecutive supertournament where Gukesh finished outside the top five: 8th at Tata Steel, 9th (last) at Prague. The two events together cover January 17 to March 6, roughly seven weeks. His coach Grzegorz Gajewski has previously acknowledged the “motivational recalibration” challenge following a World Championship win. The Prague result makes that narrative impossible to dismiss.
Analysis: What Gukesh’s form slump means for his WCC 2026 title defence.
Gukesh Dommaraju’s profile and live rating on Shatranj Live.
What Comes Next
Candidates Tournament: March 28 to April 16 in Larnaca, Cyprus. R Praggnanandhaa represents India in the Open section. Vaishali Rameshbabu, Koneru Humpy, and Divya Deshmukh represent India in the Women’s section. Abdusattorov is also reported to be among the qualifiers in the Open Candidates.
Gukesh: No confirmed supertournament between Prague and the WCC 2026 title defence later in the year. His next data point on form is uncertain.
Aravindh: No immediate next supertournament confirmed. The Prague result will be the reference point when his 2026 circuit invitations are discussed.
India chess page on Shatranj Live: all Indian GMs, live ratings, current tournaments.
Full FIDE top 100 player profiles and live ratings on Shatranj Live.
Prague 2026 is over. Abdusattorov wins his second title of the year. The Candidates Tournament is 22 days away.
