Prague International Chess Festival 2026: Standings, Players, and What to Watch

Jorden van Foreest has not lost a game in Prague.

Seven rounds into the 2026 Prague International Chess Festival Masters, the Dutch grandmaster leads the field at 4.5/7, with five wins and four draws. Nodirbek Abdusattorov and David Navara sit half a point behind at 4/7, with two rounds remaining. The tournament ends March 6 at the Don Giovanni Hotel in Prague.

The 8th edition of the Prague International Chess Festival is one of the strongest round-robins of the early FIDE classical calendar. World Champion Gukesh Dommaraju headlined the field alongside Vincent Keymer, the top-rated player in the event. But through seven rounds, this tournament belongs to Van Foreest. Two rounds remain to decide the title.

Follow the Prague International Chess Festival 2026 live on Shatranj Live, standings update in real time.

About the Prague International Chess Festival

The Prague International Chess Festival is an annual FIDE-rated classical round-robin held in Prague, Czech Republic. Founded in 2019, the 2026 edition is the eighth. The festival runs multiple simultaneous tournaments at the same venue: Masters, Challengers, and Futures round-robins, plus open rapid and blitz events.

The Masters event is the headline competition. Ten players compete in a single round-robin, nine rounds, each player facing every other once. The 2026 edition runs February 24 to March 6 at the Hotel Don Giovanni. Round times are 15:00 CET daily (20:30 IST for Indian viewers), with the rest day falling on March 2.

The festival has established itself as a reliable fixture in the early-year FIDE calendar, typically held in late February, slotted between the Tata Steel Chess in January and the spring supertournament season. Past winners include Czech local David Navara, who brings significant home-crowd support into the 2026 edition.

Masters field: players and ratings

The 2026 Masters field is the most internationally diverse edition of the event. Ten grandmasters from eight countries:

Player	Country	FIDE Rating
Vincent Keymer	Germany	2776
Gukesh Dommaraju	India	2754
Nodirbek Abdusattorov	Uzbekistan	2751
Hans Niemann	USA	2725
Parham Maghsoodloo	Iran	2708
Jorden van Foreest	Netherlands	2705
Aravindh Chithambaram	India	2700
Nodirbek Yakubboev	Uzbekistan	2691
David Anton Guijarro	Spain	2666
David Navara	Czech Republic	2628

Ratings at tournament start, via FIDE official.

By rating, Vincent Keymer entered as the favourite, followed by Gukesh (the reigning World Chess Champion) and Abdusattorov. Van Foreest, seeded sixth by rating, has overturned that order entirely.

Standings after Round 7

Rank	Player	Score
1	Jorden van Foreest	4.5/7
2	Nodirbek Abdusattorov	4/7
2	David Navara	4/7
4	Vincent Keymer	~3/7
-	Gukesh Dommaraju	last place

Standings via Liquipedia Prague Masters 2026.

Van Foreest: the tournament’s story

Jordan van Foreest entered Prague rated 2705, the sixth seed in a ten-player field. Through seven rounds, he has beaten everyone in his path and dropped no points to losses. His unbeaten record includes a win over Gukesh in Round 3, the game that pushed the World Champion out of the top 10 of the live rating list.

The Dutch grandmaster has won this title before. He is playing with the sharpness of someone who knows this venue and format, and the confidence that comes from converting winning positions.

With two rounds remaining and a half-point lead, Van Foreest controls his own destiny. A single draw in Rounds 8 and 9, against opponents who will need wins, is likely enough to hold the lead.

Abdusattorov and Navara: the challengers

Nodirbek Abdusattorov (Uzbekistan, 2751) has been the most dangerous pursuing player. He is best known for his 2021 World Rapid Championship title at age 17. In Prague’s classical rounds, he has beaten Gukesh twice and sits a clean half-point behind Van Foreest. With two rounds left, he needs Van Foreest to slip.

David Navara (Czech Republic, 2628) is the local favourite and the biggest rating overperformer in the field. Rated 107 points below Van Foreest and 123 below Abdusattorov, the Czech veteran is playing at a level that reflects the home-crowd advantage and deep preparation in familiar time zones. Navara has won this tournament before and knows what it takes.

For either Abdusattorov or Navara to win, Van Foreest must lose, and he hasn’t lost yet.

Keymer: the rating favourite’s tournament

Vincent Keymer (Germany, 2776) entered Prague as the highest-rated player in the field. Through seven rounds, he is within 1.5 points of Van Foreest. That gap is significant with two rounds left, but Keymer’s round-by-round scores have not reflected his rating standing. A strong finish would be a statement going into the spring supertournament season.

India in Prague: Gukesh and Aravindh

The 2026 Prague Masters features two Indian grandmasters: Gukesh Dommaraju, the reigning World Chess Champion, and Aravindh Chithambaram.

Gukesh’s difficult week

Gukesh entered Prague as the defending World Chess Champion and the second seed by rating. The tournament has not gone as planned.

By Round 6, Gukesh had suffered three losses in four games. He lost to Van Foreest in Round 3, the result that removed him from the FIDE top 10 temporarily. Abdusattorov beat him twice. His India teammate Aravindh handed him a third loss in Round 6. After seven rounds, Gukesh is in last place.

Context matters here. The Tata Steel 2026 earlier this year also saw Gukesh struggle, finishing 10th. The World Champion is in a form dip ahead of his title defence, which will take place later in 2026 against the winner of the Candidates Tournament currently underway in Cyprus. Prague, like Tata Steel, is data for how Gukesh and his preparation team will recalibrate before the championship.

No World Champion has gone from their title win to an extended slump and failed to recover. That history is not a guarantee, but it is context.

Follow Gukesh Dommaraju live, profile and tournament history on Shatranj Live.

Aravindh Chithambaram

Aravindh Chithambaram (India, 2700) is having the better Prague of the two Indians. His Round 6 win over Gukesh was the defining result of his week, a decisive game against the World Champion that underlined Aravindh’s standing at the elite level. He has been competitive throughout, outperforming expectations as the lower-seeded of the two Indian players.

Aravindh is part of the broader India chess story that Shatranj Live covers. He’s not in the FIDE top 10, but his consistent performance in supertournaments keeps him in the conversation for the Indian team at the Chess Olympiad and selection for future invitationals.

Track India’s players across all FIDE events on the Shatranj Live India page.

Notable games from the Prague Masters 2026

Round 3: Van Foreest 1-0 Gukesh

The defining game of the tournament. Van Foreest, the sixth seed, beat the World Champion in a game that pushed Gukesh out of the live FIDE top 10. The result established Van Foreest as the early leader and set the tone for the week.

Round 5: Abdusattorov 1-0 Gukesh

Abdusattorov’s second win over Gukesh in the tournament. The back-to-back losses against the same opponent in a 10-player round-robin represent a rough stretch by any measure. Abdusattorov’s form through five rounds at that point was among the best of any player in the field.

Round 6: Aravindh 1-0 Gukesh

Gukesh’s third loss in four games, delivered by his compatriot. The headline, “Aravindh Hands Gukesh 3rd Loss In 4 Games”, captured the unusual nature of the situation: an Indian GM in form against the Indian GM who holds the world title.

Round 4: Van Foreest 1-0 Yakubboev

Van Foreest became sole leader with this win, establishing the margin he has maintained through Round 7. The game against Yakubboev cemented Van Foreest’s lead at a point in the tournament when Keymer and Abdusattorov were also in contention.

What to watch: Rounds 8 and 9

Round 8 (March 5) and Round 9 (March 6) will decide the Prague Masters title.

Van Foreest needs one draw across the final two rounds to make it extremely difficult for Abdusattorov or Navara to catch him. His opponents in the final rounds face the calculation problem: they need a win, which requires aggression, which Van Foreest, unbeaten for seven rounds, has been punishing all week.

Watch for:

Whether Abdusattorov can convert a must-win situation against a player in their best form
Whether Navara’s local advantage produces a late push
Whether Keymer closes the tournament strongly to make a statement before the spring circuit
Whether Gukesh can finish with wins to partially repair a difficult week’s rating damage

The final standings will be confirmed by the evening of March 6. Results update live on Shatranj Live the moment each game finishes.

Format and schedule

Event: 8th Prague International Chess Festival, Masters Venue: Hotel Don Giovanni, Prague, Czech Republic Dates: February 24 – March 6, 2026 Format: 10-player single round-robin, 9 rounds Round time: 15:00 CET (20:30 IST) daily; 9th round at different time, check official site Rest day: March 2

Both the Challengers and Futures events run simultaneously, making Prague one of the few FIDE events where elite, developing, and junior players compete under the same roof on the same days.

Official coverage: praguechessfestival.com and ChessBase live blog.

Follow the Prague International Chess Festival 2026 live

Shatranj Live covers the Prague Masters 2026 with live standings updated in real time as games finish. No account required.

Two rounds remain. Van Foreest leads. The Prague Masters 2026 title is still being decided.

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