World Champion Gukesh Draws as Van Foreest Surges to Top in Prague

World champion D Gukesh’s search for his first win continued as he was held to a draw by David Navara of Czech Republic in the fourth round of the Prague International Chess Festival. The 10-player round-robin event witnessed intense battles as players fought for crucial points ahead of the halfway mark.

On a day when Jorden van Foreest of the Netherlands moved ahead of the field with his third victory in four games, defending champion Aravindh Chithambaram suffered a tough defeat against Vincent Keymer of Germany . Van Foreest defeated Nodirbek Yakubboev of Uzbekistan , showcasing strong form and consistency.

The remaining two games in the round also ended in draws. American Hans Moke Niemann split the points with Parham Maghsoodloo of Iran , while David Anton Guijarro of Spain drew with Nodirbek Abdusattorov of Uzbekistan . With five rounds still to be played, the competition remains open and tightly contested.

Navara, despite being past his prime, demonstrated his vast experience and solid preparation. He defended accurately against Gukesh from a Ruy Lopez Berlin Defence and neutralised the world champion’s attempts to create decisive pressure. The game eventually simplified into a level rook and pawn endgame , and after 72 moves, it concluded with only kings remaining on the board as both players agreed to share the point.

Chithambaram opted for the Philidor Defence , a surprising choice that allowed Keymer to seize early initiative. Keymer launched a strong kingside attack and gained material advantage in tactical complications. The Indian player lost a pawn and later a bishop without significant counterplay, resulting in a one-sided encounter that ended in favour of the German grandmaster.

Van Foreest continued his dominant run by following up his win over Gukesh with another victory against Yakubboev. He showed resilience in a complex middlegame, defending patiently with black pieces while white attempted to penetrate using heavy pieces. In the end, Yakubboev overextended and blundered, allowing Van Foreest to capitalise and secure full points.

After four rounds, Van Foreest leads the standings with 3 points , followed by Abdusattorov and Navara, who are half a point behind. Yakubboev, Keymer, and Guijarro are placed slightly further back, while Chithambaram, Gukesh, Niemann, and Maghsoodloo are tied on 1.5 points each , occupying the seventh position.

The tournament has now crossed the early phase, and the battle for the title is expected to intensify as players push for decisive results in the remaining rounds.

In the Challengers section , world women’s cup winner Divya Deshmukh drew with sole leader Václav Finek of Czech Republic , maintaining her steady performance. Indian veteran Surya Shekhar Ganguly also secured a draw against Stepan Hrbek of the host nation .

Divya stands at 1.5 points from four rounds , while Ganguly has collected one point so far. Finek leads the challengers table with three points , reflecting strong consistency in the opening stages of the event.

Results – Round 4 (Masters):

Yakubboev lost to Van Foreest; Gukesh drew with Navara; Guijarro drew with Abdusattorov; Keymer beat Chithambaram; Niemann drew with Maghsoodloo.

Results – Challengers:

Yuffa beat Zhu; Gledura beat Bjerre; Nemec drew with Beerdsen; Hrbek drew with Ganguly; Divya drew with Finek.