GM Alireza Firouzja remains the sole leader of the 2026 Quantbox Chennai Grand Masters after round four ended in draws across all boards. The result leaves the Frenchman ahead with three rounds remaining in the eight-player event.
Round four featured a highly anticipated clash between GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov and World Champion Gukesh Dommaraju that finished drawn after a tense battle. The game became the longest of the day when 26.d5! equalized the position.
GM Alireza Firouzja drew with GM Hans Niemann in a balanced French Defense encounter that never saw serious imbalance. The result was enough to preserve his half-point lead at the top of the standings.
Other games also ended peacefully. GM Pranesh M missed a strong attacking chance against GM Arjun Erigaisi while GM Dmitry Andreikin held GM Nihal Sarin in a King's Indian Defense.
Round five is scheduled to begin later today at 5:30 a.m. ET with pairings that include Gukesh against Arjun and Firouzja against Andreikin. The tournament runs through July 22 in Chennai, India.