World Champion D Gukesh loses to Alireza Firouzja at the 4th Quantbox Chennai Grandmasters 2026
Alireza Firouzja defeated World Champion D Gukesh to score his second consecutive win of the 4th Quantbox Chennai Grandmasters Tournament. Alireza is the only player who scored a win in 2 rounds. In the 1st round, he defeated Pranesh M, and now he has defeated Gukesh. With this win, Alireza gained a full-point lead just after 2 rounds, as all other games ended in a draw in the 2nd round too. The 3rd round will start on 18th July at 3:30 PM IST. Photos: Tushar Damor
A Rollercoaster Ride
The Game between Alireza and Gukesh was no less than a rollercoaster ride. Under time pressure, both players made many mistakes. Alireza got an advantage in the middlegame, but it slipped away, and the same thing kept happening throughout the game. The player who made the last mistake was Gukesh, and Alireza eventually clinched the game to score his 2nd win in a row.
Alireza Firouzja vs. D Gukesh (1-0)
This game was a classic example of how even top players can crumble under time pressure. The game started with the Ruy Lopez, and Alireza showed some great ideas throughout the game.
White to play and win
Under time pressure, Gukesh played 58...h5, and it turned out to be a big mistake as Alireza's king was close to the pawns and the black king was far.
Replay Round 2 Games
Round 2 Results
Bo. | No. | Rtg |
| White | Result | Black |
| Rtg | No. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 8 | 2730 | GM | ½ - ½ | GM | 2717 | 5 | |||||
2 | 6 | 2749 | GM | 1 - 0 | GM | 2717 | 4 | |||||
3 | 7 | 2710 | GM | ½ - ½ | GM | 2666 | 3 | |||||
4 | 1 | 2766 | GM | ½ - ½ | GM | 2757 | 2 |
Round 3 Pairings
Bo. | No. | Rtg |
| White | Result | Black |
| Rtg | No. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | 2757 | GM | GM | 2730 | 8 | ||||||
2 | 3 | 2666 | GM | GM | 2766 | 1 | ||||||
3 | 4 | 2717 | GM | GM | 2710 | 7 | ||||||
4 | 5 | 2717 | GM | GM | 2749 | 6 |
Photo Gallery: Here
Video Gallery: Here
Lineup
Tournament Format & Details
Format: 8-Player Single Round-Robin (7 rounds of classical chess).
Time Control: 90 minutes for the entire game, with a 30-second increment starting from move 1.
Venue: The Westin Chennai Velachery.
Prize Fund: ₹75,00,000.
Prizes
With massive FIDE Circuit points on the line for the next Candidates cycle and a grand prize pool of ₹75,00,000,
Venue: The Westin Chennai Velachery
Previous winners
Winner | Runner-up | Year |
|---|---|---|
GM Vincent Keymer | GM Anish Giri | 2025 |
GM Aravindh Chithambaram | GM Levon Aronian | 2024 |
GM Gukesh Dommaraju | GM Arjun Erigaisi | 2023 |
Important Links
Related News
India No.1 Arjun Erigaisi beats World Champion Gukesh at 4th Quantbox Chennai Grandmasters 2026
4th Quantbox Chennai Grandmasters Round 4: Alireza Maintains his Lead, Arjun Erigaisi Closes In
Alireza Firouzja starts with a win at the 4th Quantbox Chennai Grandmasters 2026
World Champion Gukesh Returns to Action at 4th Quantbox Chennai Grand Masters 2026