GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov won a pawn and ground down GM Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu in 60 moves to join GMs Hans Niemann and Arjun Erigaisi in the early 2026 Tata Steel Chess Masters lead on 1.5/2. The day’s only other winner was GM Vladimir Fedoseev, who bounced back from his 16-move loss to defeat top seed GM Vincent Keymer. 14-year-old Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus had winning chances in a wild game against GM Aravindh Chithambaram, while GM Javokhir Sindarov twice let a win slip against GM Anish Giri, with both players breaking out in laughter during the game.
15-year-old Lu Miaoyi leads the 2026 Tata Steel Chess Challengers on a perfect 2/2 after emerging on top despite wild swings in time trouble against FM Panesar Vedant. IMs Carissa Yip and Faustino Oro joined the players half a point back with wins over GMs Erwin l’Ami and Max Warmerdam, respectively. GM Andy Woodward’s bounce-back win over IM Eline Roebers meant all three Dutch players had lost for a second day in a row.
This is a flash report—come back later for full player quotes and analysis!
Round three starts on Monday, January 19 at 8:00 a.m. ET/ 14:00 CET / 6:30 p.m. IST.
Masters: Fedoseev Strikes Back As Abdusattorov Outlasts Praggnanandhaa
Tata Steel Masters: Round 2 Results
There were just two wins in round two, but plenty of drama on the other boards.
Tata Steel Masters: Standings After Round 2
We now have a three-way tie for first, and defending champion Praggnanandhaa suffering on 0/2.
| Rank | Title | Name | FED | Rating | Score |
| 1 | GM | Hans Niemann | 2725 | 1.5 | |
| GM | Arjun Erigaisi | 2775 | 1.5 | ||
| GM | Nodirbek Abdusattorov | 2751 | 1.5 | ||
| 4 | GM | Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus | 2658 | 1 | |
| GM | Aravindh Chithambaram | 2700 | 1 | ||
| GM | Vincent Keymer | 2776 | 1 | ||
| GM | Javokhir Sindarov | 2726 | 1 | ||
| GM | Jorden van Foreest | 2703 | 1 | ||
| GM | Thai Dai Van Nguyen | 2656 | 1 | ||
| GM | Gukesh Dommaraju | 2754 | 1 | ||
| GM | Vladimir Fedoseev | 2705 | 1 | ||
| GM | Matthias Bluebaum | 2679 | 1 | ||
| 13 | GM | Anish Giri | 2760 | 0.5 | |
| 14 | GM | Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu | 2758 | 0 |
Our Game of the Day is Fedoseev’s impressive defeat of top-seed Keymer, which GM Dejan Bojkov has analyzed below.
Challengers: Lu Miaoyi Takes Sole Lead
Once again there were four wins in the Challengers.
Tata Steel Challengers: Round 2 Results
Lu is out in front in the lead, while the three Dutch representatives are yet to pick up a point.
Tata Steel Challengers: Standings After Round 2
| Rank | Title | Name | FED | Rating | Score |
| 1 | IM | Lu Miaoyi | 2431 | 2 | |
| 2 | GM | Bibisara Assaubayeva | 2497 | 1.5 | |
| GM | Aydin Suleymanli | 2628 | 1.5 | ||
| IM | Faustino Oro | 2516 | 1.5 | ||
| IM | Carissa Yip | 2466 | 1.5 | ||
| 6 | GM | Vasyl Ivanchuk | 2605 | 1 | |
| GM | Marc’Andria Maurizzi | 2611 | 1 | ||
| GM | Velemir Ivic | 2638 | 1 | ||
| FM | Panesar Vedant | 2406 | 1 | ||
| GM | Andy Woodward | 2608 | 1 | ||
| GM | Daniil Yuffa | 2604 | 1 | ||
| 12 | GM | Erwin l’ami | 2634 | 0 | |
| IM | Eline Roebers | 2398 | 0 | ||
| GM | Max Warmerdam | 2576 | 0 |
How To Watch
The 88th edition of Tata Steel Chess takes place January 17-February 1, 2026, in Wijk aan Zee, the Netherlands. Both the Masters and Challengers groups are 14-player round-robin tournaments. The time control is 120 minutes for 40 moves followed by 30 minutes to the end of the game, with a 30-second increment only from move 41. No draw offers are allowed before move 40.
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