World champion D Gukesh has begun his campaign at the Prague International Chess Festival Masters with back-to-back draws, surviving a tough phase against Hans Niemann and holding the American GM to a hard-fought draw in the first of those.
D Gukesh began his campaign at the 2026 Prague Chess Festival Masters with back-to-back draws, having to fight his way to safety against American Grandmaster Hans Niemann in the first of those on Wednesday. The reigning Classical world champion is known for his fighting spirit and never-say-die attitude, and it was that fighting spirit that helped Gukesh rescue half-a-point against Niemann.
How Gukesh survived against Niemann
Niemann, a late replacement for Czech GM Thai Dai van Nguyen, had pushed Gukesh on the backfoot by sacrificing his knight in the 13th move (13.f4 Nxd3) after the game developed from a Berlin Defense opening. The American piled pressure on Gukesh by pushing his queen forward (14. Qxd3) and later putting his bishop in a dangerous position (15. Ba6).
Gukesh, however, is someone who is known to thrive in difficult situations with his ability to remain calm and calculate his way to safety or a position of strength. After a Queen exchange in the 18th move, the 19-year-old – who also had the advantage of playing as white – Gukesh continued to hold fort and resisted whatever curveballs Niemann attempted to throw at him.
In the end, the two played out a 62-move draw that concluded with a rook endgame. It was the only stalemate in the opening round, with each of the other boards witnessing a victory for white.
Gukesh’s second-round meeting with Tata Steel Chess winner Nodirbek Abdusattorov, however, was nowhere near as dramatic, with the two players shaking hands in just 30 moves from an Indian Game opening.
The Uzbekistani GM wasn’t quite able to put the world champion under pressure the way Niemann had in the previous round, with the eval bar remaining on level terms throughout.
Aravindh opens account with a victory
Niemann, meanwhile, was in for a setback in the second round after losing to Gukesh’s compatriot Aravindh Chithambaram despite playing as white. Aravindh, who had won the Prague Masters in dominant fashion last year, ceded control to his opponent after committing a couple of errors (20. h6 and 28. Ne4).
👉Here are the results of Round 2 of the Masters at the Prague Chess Festival, we saw two decisive games today. Don’t forget to vote for the game you liked the most: https://t.co/sviHN2UEzC pic.twitter.com/0QoqcCtOI4
— Prague International Chess Festival (@PragueChess) February 26, 2026
The 26-year-old, however, was quick to turn the tide in his favour after Niemann produced a blunder with his bishop (31. Bd3) that was followed by more errors, with the American eventually raising the white flag of surrender after 53 moves.
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