Nodirbek Abdusattorov created history by winning the Prague Chess Festival Masters for the second time. The Uzbek grandmaster secured the title after making a calm draw against Hans Niemann in the final round. The draw was enough for Abdusattorov to finish one full point ahead of the field and win the tournament convincingly.

Meanwhile, Jorden van Foreest suffered a painful loss to Parham Maghsoodloo in the final round. That defeat pushed Van Foreest down the standings. Aravindh Chithambaram also had a strong finish. The Indian grandmaster defeated David Navara and joined the tie for second place.

World Champion Gukesh Dommaraju finally managed to win a game in the tournament. He defeated David Anton Guijarro in the last round. This victory helped him avoid finishing in last place and move up to world number 15 on the live rating list.

Abdusattorov Continues His Amazing Winning Streak

Abdusattorov finished the tournament undefeated. He scored three wins and six draws. This victory continues an incredible run for the young grandmaster. He has now won three major classical tournaments in a row:

• London Chess Classic 2025

• Tata Steel Chess Masters 2026

• Prague Chess Festival Masters 2026

Because of these results, Abdusattorov has climbed from world number 17 to world number 4 on the live rating list. Even though he did not qualify for the FIDE Candidates Tournament, he is currently leading the FIDE Circuit race for a spot in the 2028 Candidates.

Final Round Drama In Prague Masters

Abdusattorov chose a safe strategy in the final round. He aimed for a draw against Niemann to secure the title. The game ended quickly in a peaceful draw. However, the real drama happened in the game between Van Foreest and Maghsoodloo.

Van Foreest needed a win to force a playoff. But a major mistake with 27…Nxd2?? completely changed the game. Maghsoodloo quickly took advantage and won the game. Maghsoodloo finished the event in second place, recovering brilliantly after losing in round one.

Aravindh Finishes Strong

Defending champion Aravindh Chithambaram had a difficult start. He lost three of his first five games. But he made a fantastic comeback. Aravindh won three of his last four games.

His final-round victory over David Navara helped him share second place in the tournament.

Mixed Tournament For Top Stars

The tournament was not easy for many top players. Vincent Keymer had an inconsistent event. He finished with two wins and three losses, losing rating points.

World Champion Gukesh also struggled. Before the final round, he had three losses and no wins. But his final-round victory against David Anton helped him recover slightly and avoid finishing last.

Vaclav Finek Wins Challengers And Becomes Grandmaster

The Prague Chess Festival Challengers section also produced exciting results. 16-year-old Vaclav Finek won the tournament after defeating Thomas Beerdsen in the final round. This victory secured clear first place and qualification for the 2027 Prague Masters.

The win also gave Finek his final Grandmaster norm, officially earning him the GM title. Daniil Yuffa finished second after defeating Jachym Nemec in a very fast attacking game.

Indian star Divya Deshmukh finished third after defeating Stepan Hrbek in the last round. Her performance pushed her back into the women’s world top 10.

Other Highlights From The Festival

The Prague Chess Festival Futures section was won by 14-year-old Kaja Rzadkowska with an impressive score of 7/9.

In the Karel Janecek Open, Indian veteran Krishnan Sasikiran scored 8/9 to qualify for the 2027 Prague Challengers.

Prague Chess Festival 2026 Overview

The **Prague Chess Festival 2026 took place from February 25 to March 6 in Prague, Czech Republic. The tournament featured three main sections:

• Masters

• Challengers

• Futures

Each section had 10 players competing in a round-robin format. The time control was 90 minutes for 40 moves, followed by 30 minutes for the rest of the game, with a 30-second increment per move.

The event produced many exciting games and impressive performances from both young stars and experienced grandmasters.

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Photos: Petr Vrabec
Source: Chess.com

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