Tata Steel Chess 2026 opened Friday in Wijk aan Zee with one of the strongest round-robin fields in the tournament's 88-year history. Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Magnus Carlsen, Fabiano Caruana, and defending champion Gukesh Dommaraju all feature in the 14-player field running through February 1.
Round one landed an early statement. Abdusattorov beat Praggnanandhaa with the Black pieces in a sharp King's Indian, pressing a bishop endgame until Pragg's position collapsed. Carlsen and Caruana split the point in a long strategic grind that ended peacefully after 68 moves. Gukesh was held by Jan-Krzysztof Duda in a quiet Petroff.
The format is a 13-round round-robin at Category 22, among the highest in tournament history. Last year's winner Gukesh has ground to make up after drawing the opener against a lower seed.
Rounds start at 13:30 Central European Time daily. Live coverage on Chess.com and the official Tata Steel website. The playing hall in Wijk aan Zee is sold out for the first two weekends, as it is every year.