In round seven of the 2026 Prague Chess Festival Masters, GM Vincent Keymer notched the tournament's sole victory against GM David Anton, while leader GM Jorden van Foreest drew to maintain his half-point advantage. Other games ended in draws, including a crucial matchup between van Foreest and GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov. GM D Gukesh managed a draw against GM Parham Maghsoodloo despite earlier struggles.
Keymer's Thriller Victory Highlights Round Seven
Round seven of the 2026 Prague Chess Festival Masters featured intense battles, with only one decisive result amid a series of hard-fought draws. GM Vincent Keymer defeated GM David Anton in a sharp Anti-Berlin line, admitting post-game, "At the end I made it far too exciting!" Keymer gained a winning position but nearly lost control before Anton's time-pressure blunder on move 60 sealed the win. "It was a crazy game, not a great conversion by me, but I managed to win the game," Keymer said. This victory brought Keymer back to 50 percent and within 1.5 points of the leader with two rounds remaining.
GM Jorden van Foreest preserved his half-point lead with a draw against GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov. Abdusattorov, playing White, sacrificed a knight on move 22 but couldn't convert his advantage. "Jorden [van Foreest] is known for really dubious opening ideas!" Abdusattorov noted, though he praised his opponent's resistance. Abdusattorov reflected, "This tournament is going strange for me, because when I have an advantage I can’t pose any problems, but when I’m worse I’m getting chances!"
The top standings remained unchanged, with van Foreest on 5.5 points, Abdusattorov at 5, and GMs David Navara and Keymer tied at 4 points. Navara drew comfortably with GM Hans Niemann in a Semi-Slav on move 42.
World Champion GM D Gukesh, at the bottom with 2 points, drew GM Parham Maghsoodloo after defending a difficult position. "Obviously I’ve been playing badly here and the couple of chances I got I didn’t use. What to say—a bad tournament!" Gukesh told WGM Keti Tsatsalashvili. He highlighted his resilience: "It’s always been my strength, being resilient, fighting in bad positions."
Defending champion GM Aravindh Chithambaram missed a win against GM Nodirbek Yakubboev, blundering on move 42.Qc3?? after reaching a winning position. The event continues at the Don Giovanni Hotel in Prague, with round eight set for March 5 at 9:15 a.m. ET.
In the Challengers section, 16-year-old IM Vaclav Finek held his full-point lead by surviving a 134-move game against top seed GM Benjamin Gledura. Wins by GM Daniil Yuffa and IM Jachym Nemec moved them into second place.