Daijiworld Media Network - Chennai

Chennai, Jul 19: French Grandmaster Alireza Firouzja maintained his position at the top of the leaderboard after all four games in the fourth round of the Chennai Grand Masters 2026 ended in draws on Sunday, leaving him with a half-point lead over India's Arjun Erigaisi.

The fourth edition of India's premier classical chess tournament is being held at The Westin Chennai Velachery, featuring eight elite grandmasters competing in a round-robin format for a prize purse of Rs 75 lakh and valuable FIDE Circuit points.

More than 500 chess enthusiasts attended the day's matches and also had the opportunity to interact with five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand, who performed the ceremonial first move in the game between Arjun Erigaisi and M Pranesh.

Erigaisi, playing with the white pieces, settled for a draw against compatriot Pranesh after 34 moves in a closely contested encounter that remained evenly balanced throughout.

Defending World Champion D Gukesh, playing black against Nodirbek Abdusattorov, searched for winning chances but eventually agreed to a draw after 41 moves.

Tournament leader Firouzja also chose a cautious approach with the black pieces against Hans Niemann, with the contest ending peacefully after 50 moves, allowing the French Grandmaster to preserve his narrow lead.

In the remaining game, Dmitry Andreikin and Nihal Sarin also shared the point after an evenly fought battle.

Round 4 Results
Hans Niemann (1.5) drew with Alireza Firouzja (3)
Dmitry Andreikin (2) drew with Nihal Sarin (2)
Nodirbek Abdusattorov (2) drew with D Gukesh (1.5)
Arjun Erigaisi (2.5) drew with M Pranesh (1.5)

Round 5 Fixtures (July 20, 3:00 p.m. IST)
M Pranesh vs Hans Niemann
D Gukesh vs Arjun Erigaisi
Nihal Sarin vs Nodirbek Abdusattorov
Alireza Firouzja vs Dmitry Andreikin