World champion D Gukesh remained without a win after drawing with David Navara in the fourth round of the Prague International Chess Festival. Jorden van Foreest took the sole lead with a victory over Nodirbek Yakubboev, while Aravindh Chithambaram suffered a defeat to Vincent Keymer. The 10-player round-robin tournament nears its halfway point with five rounds left.
The fourth round of the Prague International Chess Festival unfolded on March 1, 2026, in Prague, Czech Republic, with world champion D Gukesh of India held to a 72-move draw by Czech player David Navara. Playing white in a Ruy Lopez Berlin opening, Gukesh pressed for an advantage but Navara defended resolutely, leading to a level rook-and-pawns endgame that simplified to bare kings on the board. Navara, the Czech number one, denied Gukesh any decisive edge despite a difficult position early on.
Jorden van Foreest of the Netherlands strengthened his position at the top by securing his third win in four games, defeating Nodirbek Yakubboev of Uzbekistan. Van Foreest, playing black, showed tenacity in a challenging middlegame, capitalizing on Yakubboev's error to claim the full point. This followed his earlier victory over Gukesh. Defending champion Aravindh Chithambaram of India lost to Germany's Vincent Keymer after opting for the Philidor Defense. Keymer seized the initiative with a kingside attack, gaining a pawn in tactical complications and later a bishop, resulting in a one-sided encounter.
The other games ended in draws: American Hans Moke Niemann against Iran's Parham Maghsoodloo, and Spain's David Anton Guijarro against Uzbekistan's Nodirbek Abdusattorov.
After four rounds, van Foreest leads with 3 points, followed by Abdusattorov and Navara on 2.5 points each. Yakubboev, Keymer, and Guijarro share third place with 2 points, while Gukesh, Chithambaram, Niemann, and Maghsoodloo are tied on 1.5 points.
In the concurrent challengers section, India's Divya Deshmukh drew with leader Vanc lav Finek of Czech Republic, earning 1.5 points. Surya Shekhar Ganguly of India also drew with Czech player Stepan Hrbek, holding 1 point, as Finek tops that group with 3 points.
