Uzbek grandmaster Nodirbek Abdusattorov won the Masters section of the Prague International Chess Festival 2026 unbeaten with 6/9, securing his second title there and extending his FIDE Circuit 2026-27 lead by nearly 20 points. In Challengers, 16-year-old Czech Vaclav Finek took first with 6.5/9, while India's Divya Deshmukh earned third on 5 points, entering the women's world top 10.
The Prague International Chess Festival 2026 concluded at Prague's Don Giovanni Hotel with victories in its Masters and Challengers sections. The Masters was a 10-player, nine-round round-robin using 90 minutes for the first 40 moves, then 30 minutes plus a 30-second increment from move one.
Abdusattorov triumphed solely unbeaten (+3=6), drawing his final game as white against Hans Niemann after leading from round eight (where he beat David Navara while Jorden van Foreest lost to Chithambaram Aravindh). This boosted his live rating to 2780.3 (world No. 4) and added 23.14 FIDE Circuit points, giving him a nearly 20-point lead over van Foreest. Tied on 5 points for second were Iran's Parham Maghsoodloo (who won silver on tiebreaks by beating van Foreest in round nine: 27.Nc5 attacked the queen, 27...Nxd2? 28.Nxb3 won material), India's Aravindh, and van Foreest (fourth). Navara's standout game featured queen and rook sacrifices ending in checkmate.
India's D. Gukesh, the world champion, tied for last on 3.5/9 with his sole win (over David Anton Guijarro) in the final round. Other Indians shone: Aravindh's bronze and Nodirbek Yakubboev beating Vincent Keymer.
In Challengers, 16-year-old Czech IM Vaclav Finek won outright with 6.5/9, clinching by defeating Thomas Beerdsen in the last round for a Masters spot next year. Spain's Daniil Yuffa took second on 6 points (beating Stepan Hrbek), and India's Divya Deshmukh third on 5 via two wins (vs. Surya Shekhar Ganguly and Hrbek after his move-26 blunder) and six draws. Her live rating rose to 2509.3, placing her 10th in women's rankings (behind Hou Yifan at 2596, ahead of Koneru Humpy at 2535). The Women's World Cup winner qualifies for the FIDE Women's Candidates 2026 double round-robin. All final-round Challengers games were decisive.
