Article by Anthony Levin on chess.com
GMs Viswanathan Anand and Nihal Sarin ended day two of 2026 Tata Steel Chess India in the shared lead with 4.5 points out of six games. Anand lost his first game against GM Arjun Erigaisi but bounced back with two wins, while Nihal won all three of his games to catch up.
Undefeated GM Kateryna Lagno wrested the lead from IM Carissa Yip in the Women’s 2026 Tata Steel Chess India, winning two games and drawing one to finish on 4.5 points. Yip, who won her last game against IM Vantika Agrawal, is in sole second.
Open Rapid: Anand Bounces Back, Nihal Catches Up
Anand and Nihal lead the event with three rounds to go. GM Wesley So is in sole third, and there is a group of three players a half-point behind him.
Round four ensured the day would start with chaos in the standings when both the leaders, Anand and Niemann, lost. Trailing GMs Vidit Gujrathi and So drew their game, and Nihal and Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu won, so that when the smoke cleared all six players were tied in the lead.
Anand, up a clear exchange in that round, seemed poised for an easy win against Arjun. But as Aron Nimzowitsch wrote a long time ago, the passed pawn is a criminal that must be kept under lock and key. 52.Ra5? was a tragic square for Anand to put his rook on, and he lost it in another two moves.
