Quantbox Chennai Grand Masters 2026: M Pranesh hands D Gukesh his second straight loss
(Courtesy : MGD1)
Arjun Erigaisi fails to continue his R5 dominance
GM M Pranesh inflicted a second straight loss on world champion D Gukesh while GM Nihal Sarin defeated compatriot Arjun Erigaisi in the penultimate round of the fourth edition of the Quantbox Chennai Grand Masters 2026.
India’s most prestigious classical chess tournament was held at The Westin Chennai Velachery hotel on Tuesday.
Erigaisi’s defeat meant that French GM Alireza Firouzja, who drew his Round 6 game against GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov, is in sole lead with 4 points. Erigaisi and Abdusattorov are in joint second place with 3.5 points.
Related: Chennai Grand Masters 2026: D Gukesh loses to Arjun Erigaisi, latter takes joint lead
Organised by MGD1, the tournament witnesses eight grandmasters face off in a round-robin format and offers a prize purse of ₹ 75,00,000 and valuable FIDE Circuit points.
After Narendra Kumar, Managing Trustee of Chola Foundation and WGM Aarthie Ramaswamy made the first ceremonial move, it looked like Gukesh could finally score a win. But the world champion erred more than once with his calculations, and Pranesh made the most of these opportunities to register his first win of the competition in 39 moves.
Erigaisi needed just a draw against Nihal Sarin to stay in joint lead with Firouzja, and for most of their game, that result looked a distinct possibility. But a brilliant rook sacrifice by Nihal turned the game decisively in his favour, and Erigaisi resigned after 60 moves.
Quantbox Chennai Grand Masters 2026: Full round 6 results, and round 7 pairings
Round 6 Results:* GM Hans Niemann (2.5) drew with GM Dmitry Andreikin (3)* GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov (3.5) drew with GM Alireza Firouzja (4)* GM Arjun Erigaisi (3.5) lost to GM Nihal Sarin (3)* GM M Pranesh (3) beat GM D Gukesh (1.5)
Round 7 Pairings (July 22, 2:00 PM IST):* GM D Gukesh vs GM Hans Niemann* GM Nihal Sarin vs GM M Pranesh* GM Alireza Firouzja vs GM Arjun Erigaisi* GM Dmitry Andreikin vs GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov
When will the Quantbox Chennai Grand Masters 2026 end?
The Quantbox Chennai Grand Masters 2026 ends on July 22 (Wednesday). Taking place at The Westin Chennai Velachery, this event features eight of the world’s elite grandmasters competing in a classical round-robin format.
What will the winner of the Quantbox Chennai Grand Masters 2026 earn?
The winner will get Rs. 25,00,000 from the Rs. 75,00,000 prize. The victor will also earn valuable FIDE circuit points.
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Alex graduated in mass communication in 2016 and has been covering global sports for Khel Now since then. He is covering sports tech, igaming, sports betting and casino domain from 2017.