World champion D Gukesh and Nihal Sarin will face off in a marquee clash as the fourth edition of the Quantbox Chennai Grand Masters 2026, India’s most prestigious classical chess tournament, will kick off at The Westin Chennai Velachery Hotel.
Organised by MGD1, 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. Chess fans would get to witness high-quality chess over the next seven days.
There are four Indians in fray along with four foreign Grandmasters in the tournament that offers a prize purse of Rs 75,00,000 and valuable FIDE Circuit points.
Arjun takes on Dmitry
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 USA’s GM Hans Niemann.
The Quantbox 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 fray this year.
Speaking ahead of the start of yet another edition of the tournament, Sreekar Channapragada, co-founder 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 (July 16, 3:00 pm IST)
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
Pic: MGD1
