D Gukesh Holds Hans Niemann To Draw At Prague International Chess Festival

Last Updated:February 26, 2026, 09:34 IST

D Gukesh draws with Hans Moke Niemann in Prague International Chess Festival masters section; Aravindh Chithambaram and Vincent Keymer suffer losses.

World champion D Gukesh faced some tense moments in the early middle game before drawing with Hans Moke Niemann of the United States in the first round of the masters section of the Prague International Chess Festival.

“The Berlin defence that went wrong for white" could be an apt description for the encounter between the world champion and Niemann, who is making his way into elite chess circles after being indirectly accused of foul play.

It may be noted that the American gained notoriety after winning a match against world number one Magnus Carlsen, which will be featured in an upcoming Netflix series.

Niemann sacrificed a piece with black as early as move 13 to put Gukesh on the defensive despite the latter having the white pieces.

Although Gukesh was at a disadvantage, he managed to stay in the match. Even though black appeared to be pushing for a victory with extra pawns in exchange for the sacrificed knight, Gukesh ensured he remained competitive.

The match concluded in a draw, the only one in the 10-player, nine-round tournament where all other players with white pieces won in contrasting styles.

Defending champion Aravindh Chithambaram of India found himself in a hard position against Nodirbek Abdusattorov of Uzbekistan.

The Philidor defence by Aravindh seemed promising until he fell into a clever manoeuvre. Aravindh lost in the rook and minor piece endgame after losing a pawn and top-seeded Vincent Keymer of Germany was beaten by a resurgent Jorden van Foreest of the Netherlands.

In another Berlin defence, Foreest introduced a new idea that puzzled Keymer. As the opening ended, the Dutchman gained an advantage and bagged a comprehensive win by capturing multiple pawns.

Also victorious was Abdusattorov’s teammate Nodirbek Yakubboev, who beat David Anton Guijarro of Spain. In the day’s other game, local favourite David Navara proved stronger against Iranian Parham Maghsoodloo.

In the challengers section, women’s World Cup winner Divya Deshmukh drew with top-seeded Benjamin Gledura of Hungary from a strong position, but Surya Shekhar Ganguly was beaten by Thomas Beerdsen of the Netherlands.

Results after round 1: Masters: D Gukesh (IND) drew with Hans Moke Niemann (USA); Nodirbek Abdusattorov (UZB) beat Aravindh Chithambaram (IND); Jorden van Foreest (NED) beat Vincent Keymer (GER); David Navara (CZE) beat Parham Maghsoodloo (IRI); Nodirbek Yakubboev beat David Anton Guijarro (ESP).

Challengers: Divya Deshmukh (IND) drew with Benjamin Gledura (HUN); Surya Shekhar Ganguly (IND) lost to Thomas Beersden (NED); Zhu Jiner (CHN) lost to Jachym Nemec (CZE); Daniel Yuffa (ESP) lost to Stepen Hrbek (CZE); Jonas Buhl Bjerre (DEN) drew with Vaclav Finek (CZE)

(With PTI Inputs)

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