Tata Steel Chess: Abdusattorov beats Keymer, increases lead to full point

1/25/2026 – Round seven of the Tata Steel Masters saw Nodirbek Abdusattorov extend his lead with a second straight win, defeating top seed Vincent Keymer in a sharp Semi-Slav. Javokhir Sindarov remains in sole second place, while Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus scored a second win in a row and Anish Giri grabbed his first victory of the event. In the Challengers, a quieter day allowed Marc'Andria Maurizzi to catch Andy Woodward in the lead. | Photo: Tata Steel Chess / Lenart Ootes

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Abdusattorov up to world number five

Round seven of the Tata Steel Masters saw Nodirbek Abdusattorov increase his lead at the top of the standings by scoring his second consecutive win and his fourth overall without defeat. After taking advantage of a serious blunder by world champion Gukesh Dommaraju in the previous round, Abdusattorov continued his strong run by defeating top seed Vincent Keymer with black. Keymer had arrived in good form after back-to-back wins in rounds five and six.

The game arose from a sharp Semi-Slav line that has been tried in elite practice. Peter Heine Nielsen noted on social media that, during his time as Viswanathan Anand's second, they had prepared 11…Qh1 as a novelty for the 2007 World Championship Tournament in Mexico.

The critical moment in Saturday's game came when Keymer spent nearly half an hour on move 20 before choosing the mistaken 20.Bd3.

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From that point, Abdusattorov steadily assumed control and converted his advantage in 41 moves. His tournament performance rating stands at 2948, and his rating gain of 16.7 points has lifted him to fifth in the live ratings list, only 2.2 Elo points behind Keymer in fourth place.

Vincent Keymer

Vincent Keymer | Photo: Tata Steel Chess / Lennart Ootes

Javokhir Sindarov, who began the round in sole second place, retained that position after drawing with the white pieces against Hans Niemann.

In addition to Abdusattorov's win, three other games ended decisively. Fourteen-year-old Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus secured his second victory in a row, upsetting world number five Arjun Erigaisi. Erdogmus demonstrated strong technique in a queenless, technical position, converting his advantage with maturity beyond his years.

Anish Giri scored his first win of the tournament while handing Gukesh a second consecutive defeat. Giri emerged from the opening with a superior position and converted efficiently. Meanwhile, Jorden van Foreest bounced back from his loss in round six by defeating Aravindh Chithambaram in a game that featured the King's Indian Defence.

Heading into round eight, the final round before the second rest day on Monday, Abdusattorov holds a full-point lead over Sindarov. Niemann, Van Foreest, Erdogmus and Vladimir Fedoseev share third place, half a point behind Sindarov.

Round 7 results

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Jorden van Foreest

It was a good day for the Dutch representatives in the Masters - Jorden van Foreest and... | Photo: Tata Steel Chess / Lennart Ootes

Anish Giri

...and Anish Giri | Photo: Tata Steel Chess / Lennart Ootes

Erigaisi 0-1 Erdogmus

Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus

Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus | Photo: Tata Steel Chess / Lennart Ootes

Praggnanandhaa ½-½ Bluebaum

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Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu

Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu | Photo: Tata Steel Chess / Lennart Ootes

Standings after round 7

All games

Maurizzi joins Woodward in Challengers' lead

Round seven in the Challengers section broke the earlier trend of most games ending decisively. For the first time in the tournament, fewer than four games ended with decisive results. In fact, only two games produced a winner, both victories for Black. Marc'Andria Maurizzi defeated Eline Roebers, while Vasyl Ivanchuk overcame Lu Miaoyi.

Since Andy Woodward, who had entered the round as sole leader, was held to a draw from a slightly favourable position against Aydin Suleymanli, Maurizzi was able to catch him at the top of the standings. Both now lead with 5½ points from 7 games. Suleymanli sits alone in third place on 5 points.

Ivanchuk and Faustino Oro follow on 4½/7, an interesting pairing as they represent the oldest and youngest players in the field, respectively. On Sunday, Woodward will play black against Oro, while Maurizzi will have the white pieces against Lu, who comes into the game after a run of five consecutive losses.