Firouza Keeps Half‑Point Edge After Round 4 Stalemates at Chennai GM 2026

The fourth day of the Chennai Grand Masters 2026 ended without any decisive result. All eight Grand Masters, competing under a Robin‑style schedule at the Westin Chennai Velachery, agreed to draws on every board. French GM Alireza Firouza, who entered the round with two victories, now leads the tournament with three points, maintaining a half‑point advantage over India's Arjun Erigaisi, who has 2.5 points.\n\nThe match attracted more than 500 live viewers, many of whom also met chess legend Viswanathan Anand, who made the first move in the Erigaisi‑M. Pranes encounter. The competition carries a cash prize of Rs 75,00,000 and awards valuable FIDE circuit points.\n\nRound‑4 outcomes: Hans Neemann (1.5) drew with Firouza (3); Dimitri Andreikin (2) drew with Nihal Srin (2); Nodirbek Abdusattorov (2) drew with D. Gukesh (1.5); Arjun Erigaisi (2.5) drew with M. Pranes (1.5). The next day’s pairings (July 20, 3 pm IST) are Pranes‑Neemann, Gukesh‑Erigaisi, Nihal Srin‑Abdusattorov, and Firouza‑Andreikin.