Seven-Way Jam at the Top: 5th Blue Chevaliers International Open 2026

Four rounds of classical chess are now in the books at the 5th Blue Chevaliers International Open 2026 at the Novotel Phuket Resort in Patong Beach, Thailand. With no afternoon round scheduled today, competitors have a brief respite to recharge before the action resumes with Round 5 tomorrow morning at 09:30.

Round 4 Action: Draws at the Top & Grandmaster Surge

Round 4 reshuffled the standings as the overnight leaders were held to draws while the chasing grandmasters made their move:

• Board 1 Draw: 14th seed Arsens Batashevs took White against top seed GM Dmitriy Khegay and earned a hard-fought draw, putting both players on 3.5 points.
• Board 2 Split: FM Nikolai Val. Makarov defended with Black against IM Nubairshah Shaikh Mohammad to split the point, keeping Makarov in the lead group.
• Grandmaster Victories: Second seed GM Fabien Libiszewski defeated FM Deniel Causo, third seed GM David C. Smerdon beat FM Eugene Yanayt, and Dutch GM Harmen Jonkman scored a win against WIM Heather S. Richards.
• Breakout Win: FM Jack Rodgers secured a key victory on Board 7 against FM Varun Gampa Aditya.

Leaderboard Going into Round 5

A seven-way tie has emerged at the top of the leaderboard, with seven players holding 3.5/4.0 points:

• 3.5 Points (The Leaders): GM David C. Smerdon (AUS), Arsens Batashevs (LAT), FM Jack Rodgers (AUS), FM Nikolai Val. Makarov (FID), GM Dmitriy Khegay (FID), GM Harmen Jonkman (NED), and GM Fabien Libiszewski (FRA).
• Interesting to note, Arsens is the only untitled player among the leaders.
• 3.0 Points (Chasing Pack): A 17-player group right behind the co-leaders, including IM Nubairshah Shaikh Mohammad, AIM Abd Aziz A Qil A Lauddin, Neelabhro Bandyopadhyay, IM Devaki V Prasad, FM Nicolas Grandadam, FM Tran Ngoc Lan, FM Arif Rahman Saragih, GM Nguyen Van Huy, GM M.R. Venkatesh, and WIM Puteri Munajjah Az-Zahraa Azhar.

Round 5 Top Board Matchups (Tomorrow Morning at 09:30)

When play resumes tomorrow morning, the top boards will feature pivotal direct clashes among the co-leaders:

• Board 1: GM Dmitriy Khegay (3.5) vs. FM Jack Rodgers (3.5)
• Board 2: GM Fabien Libiszewski (3.5) vs. Arsens Batashevs (3.5)
• Board 3: FM Nikolai Val. Makarov (3.5) vs. GM Harmen Jonkman (3.5)
• Board 4: GM David C. Smerdon (3.5) vs. FM Ankit Gajwa (3.0)
• Board 5: CM Ashirwad Swain (3.0) vs. IM Nubairshah Shaikh Mohammad (3.0)

With 5 rounds left in this 9-round Swiss tournament, Round 5 promises to break open the tight battle for sole leadership.