4 joint leaders

Round 6 of the 5th Blue Chevaliers International Open 2026 saw the sole leader from Round 5 slowed down by GM David C. Smerdon   allowing three chasing masters to catch up and create a four-way tie at the summit.

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Round 6 Recap: The Chasing Pack Strikes

• Board 1 Draw: Top seed GM Dmitriy Khegay (2504) played Black against Australian GM David C. Smerdon (2461) and negotiated a draw, bringing Khegay to 5.0 points.
• Grandmaster & IM Victories:
  • On Board 2, IM Nubairshah Shaikh Mohammad (2387) scored a decisive White win against FM Nicolas Grandadam (2226) to reach 5.0 points.
  • On Board 3, Vietnamese GM Van Huy Nguyen (2348) earned a black-piece victory over Arsens Batashevs (2201) to hit 5.0 points.
  • On Board 4, Indian GM M.R. Venkatesh (2335) defeated FM Nikolai Val. Makarov (2140) to join the lead group at 5.0 points.
• Crucial Draws & Moves in the Pursuit Group: GM Harmen Jonkman drew with IM Devaki V. Prasad on Board 5, while Neelabhro Bandyopadhyay drew with A Qil A Lauddin Abd Aziz on Board 6. Meanwhile, FM Jack Rodgers, FM Varun Gampa Aditya, and Tran Pham Quang Minh all won their games, joining 2nd seed GM Fabien Libiszewski (who took a half-point bye) at 4.5 points.

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Current Standings After Round 6

Going into Round 7, four players share 1st place with 5.0 / 6.0 points:

1. GM Dmitriy Khegay (FID, 2504) – 5.0 pts
2. GM Van Huy Nguyen (VIE, 2348) – 5.0 pts
3. IM Nubairshah Shaikh Mohammad (IND, 2387) – 5.0 pts
4. GM
   
   IND, 2335) – 5.0 pts

Chasing closely behind is a nine-player group at 4.5 points:

• IM Devaki V. Prasad, FM Jack Rodgers, Neelabhro Bandyopadhyay, GM David C. Smerdon, A Qil A Lauddin Abd Aziz, FM Varun Gampa Aditya, GM Harmen Jonkman, Tran Pham Quang Minh, and GM Fabien Libiszewski.

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Round 7 Scenario: How the Leadership Can Shift

With 3 rounds remaining in this 9-round Swiss event, Round 7 features direct head-to-head collisions among the leaders:

• Head-to-Head Battles for Sole Leadership:

  • Board 1: GM Dmitriy Khegay (5.0) vs. GM M.R. Venkatesh (5.0)
  • Board 2: GM Van Huy Nguyen (5.0) vs. IM Nubairshah Shaikh Mohammad (5.0)
  • What can change: A winner on either board reaches 6.0 / 7.0, seizing sole or shared control of first place. If both top boards end in draws, all four remain tied at 5.5 points.

• The 4.5-Point Pursuit Pack:

  • Board 3: A Qil A Lauddin Abd Aziz (4.5) vs. GM Fabien Libiszewski (4.5)
  • Board 4: IM Devaki V. Prasad (4.5) vs. GM David C. Smerdon (4.5)
  • Board 5: FM Varun Gampa Aditya (4.5) vs. Neelabhro Bandyopadhyay (4.5)
  • Board 6: Tran Pham Quang Minh (4.5) vs. GM Harmen Jonkman (4.5)
  • What can change: Any winner from Boards 3–6 moves up to 5.5 points. If the top two boards draw, winners from this pack will instantly leap into a shared tournament lead going into Round 8!

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