D Gukesh finally snapped his winless run at the Prague International Chess Festival on Friday, signing off from the tournament with a victory over Spain’s David Anton Guijarro in the ninth and final round of the Masters section. Aravindh Chithambaram, meanwhile, continued to impress as he finished joint-second in the standings with a victory over Czech Grandmaster David Navara.

Friday’s fixtures marked the conclusion of what was another forgettable campaign for Indian chess star Gukesh, whose performance graph has
witnessed a sharp decline since he had been crowned the youngest world champion in December 2024.

How Gukesh collected his first win in Prague

The 19-year-old, after all, had
failed to win a single game in the previous eight rounds, suffering three defeats along the way including against compatriot Aravindh as well as world No 5 Nodirbek Abdusattorov. The struggling champion was additionally dealing with the challenge of playing as black against Guijarro in his quest to sign off with a victory.

The Chennai lad, however, appeared to regain his form and was far more accurate compared to the Spaniard on the day. While the two players were largely on level terms for the first 40 moves with Guijarro also leading Gukesh on the clock, it was the latter’s accuracy that proved to be the difference.

Gukesh was quick to capitalise on a couple of errors late in the game and began breathing down his opponent’s neck in a rook and bishop endgame, forcing a resignation in 56 moves in the end.

Gukesh and Guijarro finished at the bottom of the table with 3.5 points each, the latter concluding his campaign with a hat-trick of defeats.

Aravind wins error-strewn game to finish joint-second

Aravindh, who had won this event last year, defeated Navara while playing as white in a game that witnessed both players make commit blunders along the way. The 26-year-old, however, put the veteran Czech GM under considerable pressure, chipping away at all of his pieces and eventually knocking every single black pawn off the board.

With a three-pawn advantage and a knight to block a rook, it was only a matter of time before Aravindh walked away with a fourth win in nine outings and a second on the trot, and he eventually did in 64 moves.

PICF has its first ever two-time Masters champion! ♟️🏆
After winning in 2024, Uzbek grandmaster Nodirbek Abdusattorov adds another triumph in 2026. 👑 @NodirbekGM pic.twitter.com/nEdFAJDPqo

— Prague International Chess Festival (@PragueChess) March 6, 2026

Nodirbek, meanwhile, was crowned champion, finishing as the undisputed leader with 6 points in nine rounds after collecting three wins – including against Gukesh and Aravindh – and six draws. It’s the second consecutive trophy for the Uzbekistani GM, who had won the prestigious Tata Steel Chess just last month.

File photo of D. Gukesh
| Photo Credit: PTI

D Gukesh began his campaign at the 2026 Prague Chess Festival Masters with back-to-back draws, having to fight his way to safety against American Grandmaster Hans Niemann in the first of those on Wednesday. The reigning Classical world champion is known for his fighting spirit and never-say-die attitude, and it was that fighting spirit that helped Gukesh rescue half-a-point against Niemann.

How Gukesh survived against Niemann

Niemann, a late replacement for Czech GM Thai Dai van Nguyen, had pushed Gukesh on the backfoot by sacrificing his knight in the 13th move (13.f4 Nxd3) after the game developed from a Berlin Defense opening. The American piled pressure on Gukesh by pushing his queen forward (14. Qxd3) and later putting his bishop in a dangerous position (15. Ba6).

Gukesh, however, is someone who is known to thrive in difficult situations with his ability to remain calm and calculate his way to safety or a position of strength. After a Queen exchange in the 18th move, the 19-year-old – who also had the advantage of playing as white – Gukesh continued to hold fort and resisted whatever curveballs Niemann attempted to throw at him.

In the end, the two played out a 62-move draw that concluded with a rook endgame. It was the only stalemate in the opening round, with each of the other boards witnessing a victory for white.

Gukesh’s second-round meeting with Tata Steel Chess winner Nodirbek Abdusattorov, however, was nowhere near as dramatic, with the two players shaking hands in just 30 moves from an Indian Game opening.

The Uzbekistani GM wasn’t quite able to put the world champion under pressure the way Niemann had in the previous round, with the eval bar remaining on level terms throughout.

Aravindh opens account with a victory

Niemann, meanwhile, was in for a setback in the second round after losing to Gukesh’s compatriot Aravindh Chithambaram despite playing as white. Aravindh, who had won the Prague Masters in dominant fashion last year, ceded control to his opponent after committing a couple of errors (20. h6 and 28. Ne4).

👉Here are the results of Round 2 of the Masters at the Prague Chess Festival, we saw two decisive games today. Don’t forget to vote for the game you liked the most: pic.twitter.com/0QoqcCtOI4

— Prague International Chess Festival (@PragueChess) February 26, 2026

The 26-year-old, however, was quick to turn the tide in his favour after Niemann produced a blunder with his bishop (31.  Bd3) that was followed by more errors, with the American eventually raising the white flag of surrender after 53 moves.