Tata Steel Chess Wijk aan Zee: Gukesh draws with Vincent Keymer to finish 9th

The dismal performance of India's top Grandmasters at Tata Steel Chess Wijk aan Zee 2026 concluded on Sunday, with all four failing to secure a top-8 finish.

The reigning world champion, GM Gukesh Dommaraju, was the highest-placed Indian, finishing 9th with 6.5 points from 13 games, having 3 wins, 3 losses and 7 draws.

On the final matchday, Gukesh survived a tough game and played out a long 57-move draw against Vincent Keymer of  Germany with the white pieces.

Meanwhile, Arjun Erigaisi's poor run continued as he faced yet another defeat in his final game against eventual champion Nodirbek Abdusaatorov of Uzbekistan.

He finished his tournament in the second last position with just 4.5/13 points and has now dropped outside the world top 10 in live classical ratings.

GM Aravindh Chithambaram also finished the tournament with a defeat in the last round against Vladimir Fedoseev of Slovenia, finishing with the same 4.5/13 points.

Meanwhile, the defending champion Rameshbabu Praggnandhaa played out a draw against Dutch GM Jordan Van Forrest, finishing with 5.5/13 points in 11th position.

He also faced a big setback in the Live FIDE ratings, like Arjun, and dropped outside the world's top 10 after losing 16.8 rating points from the tournament.

No Indian currently has a FIDE rating above 7500, a rare feat in recent years, with Gukesh leading at 10th place with 2748.2 points as the highest-ranked Indian.