Chennai Grand Masters 2026 kicks off as Gukesh faces Nihal Sarin in opening round

The fourth edition of the Quantbox Chennai Grand Masters 2026 begins on Thursday, featuring an opening marquee clash between D. Gukesh and Nihal Sarin. Eight elite Grandmasters will compete over seven days for a prize purse of Rs 75 lakh

Hyderabad: The fourth edition of the Quantbox Chennai Grand Masters 2026, India’s most prestigious classical chess tournament, will kick off at The Westin Chennai Velachery Hotel, with a marquee clash between world champion D Gukesh and Nihal Sarin as chess fans would get to witness high-quality chess over the next seven days.

Organised by MGD1, the tournament will witness eight grandmasters face-off in a double-round robin format with all games to begin at 3:00 PM IST starting Thursday.

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There are four Indians in fray along with four foreign Grandmasters in the tournament that offers a prize purse of Rs 75,00,000 and valuable FIDE Circuit points.

According to the draw, last edition’s Challenger winner M Pranesh will face Frenchman Alireza Firouzja with white pieces in the opening round while Arjun Erigaisi will take on Dmitry Andreikin.

The only match without any Indian representation on the opening day will witness Uzbekistan’s GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov face off against USA’s GM Hans Niemann.

Speaking ahead of the start of yet another edition of the tournament, Sreekar Channapragada, Co-founder MGD1, said, “The Quantbox Chennai Grand Masters 2026 is not just an elite tournament but a powerful platform for India’s chess talent to showcase their mettle against the world’s best on home soil. This year’s competition has once again attracted some of the world’s best players and I am confident that the quality of chess will mesmerise the fans like always.”