World champion Gukesh holds off Niemann in thrilling opener at Prague Chess Festival

World champion D Gukesh survived tense moments in the early middle game before securing a hard-fought draw against Hans Moke Niemann of the United States in the first round of the Masters section at the Prague International Chess Festival . The Berlin Defense, initially mishandled by White, set the stage for an aggressive approach from Niemann, who sacrificed a piece on move 13 to put Gukesh on the back foot. Despite being down, Gukesh calmly navigated the complex position, neutralising Niemann’s threats and ensuring the game ended as the only draw among ten Masters players in the nine-round tournament.

Defending champion Aravindh Chithambaram of India struggled in the Philidor Defense and lost to Nodirbek Abdusattorov of Uzbekistan in a rook and minor piece endgame. Meanwhile, Jorden van Foreest of the Netherlands stunned top seed Vincent Keymer of Germany with an innovative Berlin Defense idea, securing a decisive victory. Czech favorite David Navara defeated Parham Maghsoodloo of Iran, delighting the home crowd, while Nodirbek Yakubboev triumphed over David Anton Guijarro .

In the Challengers section, women’s World Cup winner Divya Deshmukh drew with top seed Benjamin Gledura of Hungary, while Surya Shekhar Ganguly fell to Thomas Beerdsen of the Netherlands. Jachym Nemec beat Zhu Jiner , Stepen Hrbek overcame Daniel Yuffa , and Jonas Buhl Bjerre drew with Vaclav Finek , rounding out the key results.

These early victories have shaken up expectations, setting a competitive tone for the rest of the festival. With classical rounds continuing daily and the tournament running until March 6 , the Masters, Challengers, Futures, and Open events promise high-intensity battles. Analysts and fans will closely follow Gukesh’s progress as he seeks to maintain his resilient form and set the pace in this prestigious European chess festival.