Chennai, July 15 (IANS) The fourth edition of the Chennai Grand Masters 2026, India’s most prestigious classical chess tournament, will kick off at The Westin Chennai Velachery Hotel, with a marquee clash between world champion Dommaraju Gukesh and compatriot Nihal Sarin as chess fans would get to witness high-quality clashes over the next seven days.

The tournament will witness eight grandmasters face off in a double-round robin format, with all games to begin at 3:00 PM IST starting Thursday.

There are four Indians in the fray along with four foreign GMs in the tournament that offers a prize purse of Rs 75,00,000 and valuable FIDE Circuit points.

According to the draw, last edition’s Challenger winner M. Pranesh will face Frenchman Alireza Firouzja with white pieces in the opening round, while Arjun Erigaisi will take on Dmitry Andreikin.

The only match without any Indian representation on the opening day will witness Uzbekistan’s GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov face off against the USA’s GM Hans Niemann.

The Chennai Grand Masters tournament has become an important milestone in the chess journey of many players, as Gukesh won the crown in the inaugural edition and went on to qualify for the Candidates and eventually win the world title. He will be the only former champion in the fray this year.

Speaking ahead of the start of yet another edition of the tournament, Sreekar Channapragada, Co-founder of MGD1, said, "The Quantbox Chennai Grand Masters 2026 is not just an elite tournament but a powerful platform for India’s chess talent to showcase their mettle against the world’s best on home soil. This year’s competition has once again attracted some of the world’s best players, and I am confident that the quality of chess will mesmerise the fans like always.”

Round 1 Pairing:

GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov vs GM Hans Niemann

GM Arjun Erigaisi vs GM Dmitry Andreikin

GM M Pranesh vs GM Alireza Firouzja

GM D Gukesh vs GM Nihal Sarin

--IANS

bsk/