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The 2026 Prague Chess Festival Masters delivered another big shock.

World Champion Gukesh Dommaraju suffered his third loss of the tournament. This time, he was defeated by fellow Indian GM Aravindh Chithambaram in Round 6.

After this loss, Gukesh dropped to World No. 20 in the live ratings. He is currently in last place in the Masters section. It has been a very difficult event for the 19-year-old champion.

Masters Standings After Round 6

Dutch Grandmaster Jorden van Foreest continues to lead the tournament. He holds a half-point advantage with three rounds remaining.

He is closely followed by:

Nodirbek Abdusattorov
David Navara

All other Round 6 games ended in draws. Only one decisive result changed the day — Aravindh’s victory over Gukesh.

Gukesh vs Aravindh: A Battle of Struggling Stars

Both Indian stars have had a tough year.

Aravindh honestly admitted after the game that it was emotionally difficult to play. He revealed both players were having a bad tournament. But he believed one of them would finish the day happy — and it was him.

Aravindh is the defending Prague champion. In 2025, he nearly crossed the 2750 rating mark. However, after three losses in the first five rounds this year, his rating had dropped below 2680.

Still, in Round 6, he showed his true strength.

The Critical Moment

The game was complicated. Gukesh’s position was playable, but he had very little time on the clock. Under pressure, he played 40.Rgf3? with only three seconds left. Aravindh had 12 minutes. He calmly calculated 40…Ne3! — a winning move.

After that, there was no escape for the World Champion. This important victory could be a turning point for Aravindh’s tournament.

Other Masters Games

Abdusattorov vs Yakubboev

The all-Uzbek clash between Abdusattorov and Nodirbek Yakubboev ended in a draw.

Abdusattorov defended carefully and remains just half a point behind the leader.

Van Foreest vs Navara

Van Foreest pressed for most of the game against Navara. At one point, he even found a clever trick to turn the tables.

However, Navara survived. The game ended in a draw. The tournament leader remains unchanged.

He's oldest player in Masters category. Also he's still undefeated! 💪♟️ David Navara keeps playing fantastic chess. Today he drew against leader Jorden Van Foreest. Listen to his interview with lovely @keti_chess 😊 pic.twitter.com/7mwAxWNP2Y

— Prague International Chess Festival (@PragueChess) March 3, 2026

Niemann vs Keymer – 92 Moves Marathon

The longest battle of the day was between:

Hans Niemann
Vincent Keymer

The game lasted 92 moves.

Keymer started fast and gained time on the clock. Niemann later fought back strongly. In the end, precise defense secured a draw. If Niemann had won, he would have overtaken Gukesh in the live ratings.

Anton vs Maghsoodloo – Time Scramble Drama

Spanish GM David Anton Guijarro had strong winning chances against Parham Maghsoodloo. Maghsoodloo chose the aggressive King’s Indian Defense. The position became dangerous.

But both players fell into severe time trouble. In the end, the Iranian grandmaster escaped with a draw.

Round 7 – A Crucial Clash

The biggest game of the next round will be:

Abdusattorov vs Van Foreest

This game could decide the tournament leader. With only three rounds left, every point matters.

Challengers Section: Gledura Strikes Back

In the Challengers tournament, only one game ended decisively. Hungarian GM Benjamin Gledura defeated IM Jachym Nemec. A blunder with 36…Qd6? allowed a beautiful 37.Ne7+!! tactic. The game ended quickly after that.

Despite this win, 16-year-old IM Vaclav Finek still leads by a full point. Finek had chances to extend his lead even further but missed a winning opportunity against Zhu Jiner.

The next round will be very important because Finek faces Gledura directly. A win for Gledura will reduce the gap to just half a point.

Tournament Details

The Prague Chess Festival 2026 is being held from February 25 to March 6 in Prague.

The format includes:

Masters
Challengers
Futures
Open Tournament

Each section follows a 10-player round-robin format. With only three rounds remaining, both tournaments are entering the most critical stage.

Will Van Foreest hold his lead? Can Gukesh recover from this slump? Can Finek convert his advantage into victory?

The final rounds promise high drama.

Photos: Petr Vrabec
Source: Chess.com

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