Arsens

Khegay

The 5th Blue Chevaliers International Open 2026, hosted at the Novotel Phuket Resort in Patong Beach, Thailand, has delivered three rounds of intense classical chess. With 3 rounds completed and 6 more rounds to go in this 9-round Swiss-system tournament, the battle for the title is heating up as players prepare for Round 4.

The Front-Runners: Three Players with a Perfect 3/3 Start

Out of a competitive 103-player field, only three players have managed to navigate the first three rounds with an unblemished 3.0/3.0 score:

• GM Dmitriy Khegay (FID, 2504) – The top seed has played up to his billing, securing three consecutive victories.
• Arsens Batashevs (LAT, 2201) – The 14th seed has outperformed expectations to join the top tier.
• FM Nikolai Val. Makarov (FID, 2140) – The 22nd seed has put together an impressive streak to share the lead.

Expected Favorites vs. Unexpected Surprises

Expected Mastery

Top seed GM Dmitriy Khegay has executed a textbook opening run, defeating Chay Joon Hoong, Apichit Buakird, and FM Arif Rahman Saragih in succession to hold his spot at the top of the leaderboard.

The Breakout Stars

• Arsens Batashevs scored key wins against Dustin Tennessee Opasiak, Chen-Hao Wu, and Nikolay Gutsulyak to claim a share of first place.
• FM Nikolai Val. Makarov achieved one of the top results of Round 3 by defeating higher-rated FM Ankit Gajwa (2245), catapulting himself into the lead group.

Surprises & Upsets

• Neelabhro Bandyopadhyay (2165) produced a standout result in Round 3 by holding 3rd seed GM David C. Smerdon (2461) to a hard-fought draw.
• GM M.R. Venkatesh (2335) was forced to fight back after an unexpected Round 1 draw against lower-rated Amlan Mahanta (1810), subsequently winning two straight games to reach 2.5 points.
• 2nd seed GM Fabien Libiszewski (2487) and WIM Heather S. Richards (2096) elected to take half-point byes in Round 3, keeping them in prime striking position with 2.5 points heading into Round 4.

Current Standings After Round 3

Behind the leading trio sits a massive, formidable chasing pack of 17 players tied at 2.5 points:

• 3.0 Points: GM Dmitriy Khegay, Arsens Batashevs, FM Nikolai Val. Makarov
• 2.5 Points: FM Ngoc Lan Tran, GM David C. Smerdon, FM Nicolas Grandadam, IM Devaki V. Prasad, IM Nubairshah Shaikh Mohammad, FM Varun Gampa Aditya, AIM A Qil A Lauddin Abd Aziz, Neelabhro Bandyopadhyay, FM Jack Rodgers, FM Eugene Yanayt, WIM Heather S. Richards, GM M.R. Venkatesh, GM Van Huy Nguyen, GM Harmen Jonkman, Tupfah Khumnorkaew, FM Deniel Causo, and GM Fabien Libiszewski.

Round 4 Marquee Matchups: Top Boards Clash

As Round 4 begins, the top boards feature crucial head-to-head battles between the leaders and the elite chasing pack:

• Board 1: Arsens Batashevs (3.0) vs. GM Dmitriy Khegay (3.0) — The ultimate showdown of perfect scores, with Batashevs taking the White pieces against the tournament's top seed.
• Board 2: IM Nubairshah Shaikh Mohammad (2.5) vs. FM Nikolai Val. Makarov (3.0) — Makarov looks to defend his perfect record with Black against the solid Indian International Master.
• Board 3: FM Deniel Causo (2.5) vs. GM Fabien Libiszewski (2.5) — Grandmaster Libiszewski returns to action looking to climb into the lead.
• Board 4: FM Eugene Yanayt (2.5) vs. GM David C. Smerdon (2.5) — Australia's GM Smerdon aims for a win after his Round 3 draw.
• Board 5: Neelabhro Bandyopadhyay (2.5) vs. GM Van Huy Nguyen (2.5) — Fresh off drawing a GM, Bandyopadhyay faces another formidable Vietnamese Grandmaster.
• Board 6: GM M.R. Venkatesh (2.5) vs. IM Devaki V. Prasad (2.5) — An all-Indian battle between Grandmaster and International Master.

With 6 rounds remaining, there is plenty of room for moves on the leaderboard as the tournament progresses toward its conclusion on September 13.

GM Khegay

Phuket, Thailand — Day 2 at the 3rd Blue Chevaliers International Open delivered drama on board one, two GM draws, and a strong day for the women’s section. Local favourite Apichit Buakird pushed top seed GM Dmitriy Khegay before succumbing to a rook invasion, while India’s Sudhir Prasad and Oman’s Hamood Al Busaidi each held a Grandmaster to a draw. Nikolay Gutsulyak scored a key win over Malaysia’s Jin Cheng Chong, and Australia’s Heather Richards improved to 2/2 to lead the women’s standings.

Bami's Day 2 report

Bami was on hand once again to report on day 2 of the tournament.

Today, everyone in Thailand was cheering for Apichit Buakird on board one. Apichit had to play the top seed, Grandmaster Dmitriy Khegay, but he wasn't intimidated in the slightest. In the middlegame he went after the Grandmaster, and Bami admitted to being thrilled watching it unfold. Dmitriy, though, stayed calm and defended well, and when he threatened a rook invasion that Apichit needed to stop, Apichit missed it. The rook charged in, and Thai hearts sank across the venue. Apichit had to give in, but according to Bami, he made everyone proud all the same.

Two Grandmasters will need to pick up the pace, Bami noted, after both were held to draws today. India's Sudhir Prasad kept GM Harmen Jonkman at bay, while Oman's Hamood Al Busaidi did the same to GM Van Huy Nguyen of Vietnam. Bami offered congratulations to both.

Nikolay Gutsulyak, meanwhile, picked up a strong win over the promising Malaysian teenager Jin Cheng Chong.

Bami was also keen to spotlight the women's section, insisting the girls deserve just as much attention as the boys — "maybe even a little bit more," as Bami put it.

Top seed Heather Richards of Australia has come out of the gate fast, in Bami's words "like a kangaroo," winning both of her first two games.

Bami was equally pleased for Tanvi Trevedi of Singapore, who played well to secure a draw against Jeroen Wismeijer.

One matchup that particularly caught Bami's eye was on board 37, where two young players faced off: 11-year-old Amaya Agarwal, in Phuket with her brother Anay, took on Pei-Xuan Wu of Chinese Taipei. Bami described the game as a hard-fought draw with an absorbing ending that featured a knight — or as Bami called it, a "horse" — before the two agreed to a result Bami considered a solid outcome for Pei-Xuan.

Tournament context

• Event: 3rd Blue Chevaliers International Open (Phuket, Thailand).
• Results platform: Official pairings and standings are published on Chess‑Results under the Blue Chevaliers tournament key, confirming a FIDE‑rated international open.
• Field: A broad mix of federations across Asia and beyond, with titled players including GMs among the top seeds—consistent with the Day 2 storylines around GM Khegay, GM Jonkman and GM Van Huy Nguyen.

What Day 2 tells us

• Local hero narrative: Apichit Buakird choosing complications against GM Khegay fits the classic “home favourite takes the top seed to the wire” arc. Even in defeat, the game is a teachable moment about defending under pressure and converting rook invasions.
• GMs under pressure: Sudhir Prasad and Hamood Al Busaidi drawing GMs is exactly the kind of result that shifts momentum in a Swiss—especially when the GMs are expected to score heavily early.
• Women’s section momentum: Heather Richards starting 2/2 as top seed sets up a potential wire‑to‑wire contest in the women’s prize category, while Tanvi Trevedi’s draw and the Amaya–Pei‑Xuan battle add human‑interest angles (age, sibling support, endgame education).
• Malaysian angle: Jin Cheng Chong’s loss to Gutsulyak is a useful checkpoint for Malaysian followers tracking his progress in international opens.

Standings after Round 2  latest crosstable is published on Chess‑Results.
Blog post heavily based on Bami's report on Facebook

Waiting eagerly for day 3 report from Peter Frost and/ior Bami

Capturing the excitement and intensity from Day 6 of the 21st Malaysian Chess Festival at KL Gateway Mall on September 3, 2026.

All photos taken on September 3, 2026 at KL Gateway Mall during the 21st Malaysian Chess Festival.