32nd Abu Dhabi Masters Round 1-3: Iniyan Panneerselvam Starts with a Perfect 3/3
Devansh Singh·3 min read
The 32nd Edition of Abu Dhabi International Chess Festival started on 15th August 2026. The Masters Group is one of the strongest Swiss tournaments in Asia. Grandmaster Daniil Dubov is the top seed of the tournament, and after the completion of 3 rounds, second seed GM Iniyan Panneerselvam is leading with 3/3. IM Goutham Krishna H drew against Daniil Dubov in the 2nd round. So many talented youngsters from India and around the globe are taking part in this fantastic event. Photos: Anmol Bhargav
The tournament started on 15th August, and while we are bringing this report to you, the 4th round is already in progress, where GM Iniyan is taking on Ahmadzada Ahmad with white pieces. Check out what happened in the last 3 days.
After drawing against Goutham Krishna in the 2nd round, Duboov won against WGM Anna Shukhman
Check out this game from round 1 of Abu Dhabi Masters 2026. Commentary by IM Sagar Shah.
Iniyan scored 3 consecutive wins, and he is co-leading the tournament
Check out the Round 3 game between Sergey Skolikin and Iniyan
GM Pranav Anand is on 2.5/3
GM Abhijeet Gupta suffered a tough loss against IM Usov Aleksandr E
The recently crowned GM of India, Aswath S, is also on 2.5/3
In Round 2, India's 98th Grandmaster, 18-year-old Aswath S, was up against the World No. 10 Junior Girl - 14-year-old WIM Aamuktha Guntaka! Watch the final half of this very interesting game.
IM Goutham Krishna made 2 strong draws against Daniil Dubov in the 2nd round and David Paravyan in the 3rd round
In Round 3 of the Abu Dhabi Chess Masters 2026, 16-year-old Indian IM Goutham Krishna H was up against experienced GM David Paravyan. Check out this very interesting game in full, and a detailed interview with Goutham after the game!
FM Anirudhha Potawad drew against IM Kushagra Shrivastava
IM Suyog Wagh missed his winning chance in the second game, and the game ended in a draw
Check out the final moments of the exciting game between IM Suyog Wagh and IM Lev Zverev in Round 2
Talented FM Advik Amit Agrawal made a solid draw against GM Makarian Rudik and IM Zverev Lev in consecutive rounds
At the first round of the Abu Dhabi Masters 2026, we have the talented young Indian Advik Agrawal (Elo 2376) taking on the well-known chess content creator Zachary Saine (Elo 2102), also known as the Chess Nerd. Commentary by IM Sagar Shah.
In the 2nd round of the Abu Dhabi Chess Festival Masters 2026, 11-year-old FM Aarit Kapil played a great game with the Black pieces to defeat experienced Polish GM Monika Socko. Watch a detailed post-game interview with Aarit!
