Erigaisi Beats Praggnanandhaa as Tata Steel Chess Masters Kicks Off

Indian stars make solid starts as Erigaisi wins opener and Gukesh settles for a hard-fought draw

Written by: Supriya Kadu

Edited by: Rajan Mhatre

Last Updated: January 19, 2026

Summary: Indian grandmaster Arjun Erigaisi wins his opener; Gukesh draws with Sindarov in round one.

The 88th Tata Steel Chess Masters got off to an exciting start with several decisive results in the first round on Sunday.

India’s Arjun Erigaisi, the top seed, opened his campaign with a strong win over fellow Indian R Praggnanandhaa. Erigaisi capitalised on a middlegame mistake by his opponent and wrapped up the game confidently, giving himself an early edge in the standings.

Meanwhile, World Champion D Gukesh battled Javokhir Sindarov of Uzbekistan in a long match that lasted more than 70 moves. Gukesh fought fiercely and even proposed a bold queen sacrifice during the game, but Sindarov defended wisely, and the game ended in a tie.

The opening round had a delayed start after environmental activists briefly disrupted access to the playing hall. Once play began, however, chess fans were treated to nearly five hours of intense, high-level action.

Other results around the board saw Hans Moke Niemann of the United States and Vincent Keymer of Germany pick up wins in their games, making the early leaderboard a crowded one with multiple players on one point after round one.

Erigaisi’s opening victory and Gukesh’s solid draw put them in promising positions as the tournament — considered one of the most prestigious in the chess calendar — moves into its second round. Several top players will be looking to build on their starts when action resumes.