GM Arjun Erigaisi defeated World Champion Gukesh Dommaraju in round five of the 2026 Quantbox Chennai Grand Masters. The result lifted Arjun level with GM Alireza Firouzja at the top of the standings with two rounds remaining.
GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov also secured a victory by defeating GM Nihal Sarin. Abdusattorov moved to within half a point of the leaders after outplaying his opponent in a Sicilian Defense.
The remaining games ended in draws. GM Dmitry Andreikin held GM Alireza Firouzja to a draw while GM Pranesh M and GM Hans Niemann split the point after a long battle that extended to move 104.
Round six is scheduled to begin on July 21 at 5:30 a.m. ET. Key matchups include Abdusattorov against Firouzja and Arjun against Nihal.
The eight-player round-robin event runs from July 16 to 22 in Chennai, India. Each player receives 90 minutes for all moves plus a 30-second increment starting from move one.