Indian Masters Dominate as Four Players Share the Lead After Round 3 at the 21st Dato Arthur Tan Merdeka Open
Three rounds are complete at the 21st Dato Arthur Tan Merdeka Open Chess Championship 2026 (Event 5 of the Malaysian Chess Festival). The battle at the top of the classical open section has intensified, with four players maintaining a perfect 3.0/3 score — all hailing from India.
The Leaders: Perfect 3.0/3 Streak
The four leaders navigating the field with undefeated records are:
- GM Mitrabha Guha (IND, 2540) – Occupies 1st place on tie-breaks (Buchholz 6.0). In Round 3, Mitrabha claimed a victory with the Black pieces against IM Xiangyi Liu on Board 2.
- GM Iniyan Pa (IND, 2609) – The tournament’s top seed holds 2nd place (Buchholz 5.5). Iniyan defeated IM Mark Jay Bacojo on Board 1 with Black in Round 3 to maintain his perfect run.
- IM Kushagra Mohan (IND, 2446) – Sitting in 3rd place (Buchholz 5.5), Kushagra has emerged as a major grandmaster slayer this week. After defeating GM Karthikeyan P. in Round 2, he scored another victory over GM Van Huy Nguyen in Round 3 on Board 5.
- IM Ayush Sharma (IND, 2426) – Holds 4th place (Buchholz 4.5) after defeating China’s Yinuo Wang on Board 7 in Round 3.
The Chasing Pack & Round 3 Highlights
Trailing right behind the leaders is a formidable pack of 16 players tied at 2.5/3 points.
- Top-Board Draws: Board 3 saw a split point between IM Antonio Dcunha Viani and GM Siddharth Jagadeesh, while Board 4 concluded in a draw between IM Haochen Jiang and GM Duc Hoa Nguyen.
- GM Moves: Belarusian GM Andrey Gorovets advanced to 2.5 points by defeating IM Krishnan P. Saravana on Board 12, while GM Boris Savchenko won against Hongchi Peng on Board 9.
Local Spotlight: Chow Yi Chen Leads Malaysia’s Charge
Host country supporters have plenty to cheer about, thanks to CM Yi Chen Chow (MAS, 2161). Chow sits in 10th place overall with 2.5/3 points, making him the highest-ranked Malaysian player after three rounds. In Round 3, Chow pulled off a notable win over Filipino IM Michael Concio Jr. (2375) on Board 17.
Other Malaysians performing strongly include FM Anderson Ern Jie Ang (2.0/3) and Yin Lin Wee (2.0/3).
Top Standings After Round 3
| Rank | Title | Player Name | Rating | FED | Score | Buchholz (TB1) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GM | Mitrabha Guha | 2540 | IND | 3.0 | 6.0 |
| 2 | GM | Iniyan Pa | 2609 | IND | 3.0 | 5.5 |
| 3 | IM | Kushagra Mohan | 2446 | IND | 3.0 | 5.5 |
| 4 | IM | Ayush Sharma | 2426 | IND | 3.0 | 4.5 |
| 5 | IM | Avinash Ramesh | 2345 | IND | 2.5 | 6.5 |
| 6 | GM | Siddharth Jagadeesh | 2513 | SGP | 2.5 | 6.0 |
| 7 | GM | Nguyen Duc Hoa | 2374 | VIE | 2.5 | 6.0 |
| 8 | IM | Jiang Haochen | 2457 | CHN | 2.5 | 5.5 |
| 9 | IM | Viani Antonio Dcunha | 2377 | IND | 2.5 | 5.5 |
| 10 | CM | Chow Yi Chen | 2161 | MAS | 2.5 | 5.5 |
Looking Ahead: Round 4 Blockbuster Pairings
Round 4 features direct face-offs between the four tournament leaders:
- Board 1: GM Iniyan Pa (3.0) vs. IM Kushagra Mohan (3.0)
- Board 2: GM Mitrabha Guha (3.0) vs. IM Ayush Sharma (3.0)
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