Prague Masters 2026: Player list, full schedule, format; World champion D Gukesh to be in action
The eighth edition of the Prague Masters 2026 will get underway on Wednesday, with the Don Giovanni Hotel in the Czech Republic hosting the elite chess event.
Germany’s Vincent Keymer is the highest-rated player in the tournament and will share the spotlight along with reigning world champion D Gukesh.
Giving Gukesh company as a fellow Indian will be defending champion Aravindh Chithambaram.
Prague Masters 2026 participants and FIDE rating
Vincent Keymer (Germany) – 2776
Gukesh D (India) – 2754
Nodirbek Abdusattorov (Uzbekistan) – 2751
Hans Moke Niemann (USA) – 2725
Parham Maghsoodloo (Iran) – 2708
Jorden van Foreest (Netherlands) – 2705
Aravindh Chithambaram (India) – 2700
Nodirbek Yakubboev (Uzbekistan) – 2691
David Antón Guijarro (Spain) – 2666
David Navara (Czech Republic) 2628
Tournament Format
- System: Single round-robin
- Total Rounds: Nine
- Time Control: Classical.
- 90 minutes for the first 40 moves.
- 30 minutes for the rest of the game.
- 30-second increment per move starting from Move 1.
In the Challengers section, Surya Shekhar Ganguly will spearhead the Indian challenge along with Women’s World Cup winner Divya Deshmukh.
Prague Masters 2026 Schedule
Feb 25 (Wed) – Round 1 – 7:30 PM IST
Feb 26 (Thu) – Round 2 – 7:30 PM IST
Feb 27 (Fri) – Round 3 – 7:30 PM IST
Feb 28 (Sat) – Round 4 – 7:30 PM IST
Mar 01 (Sun) – Round 5 – 7:30 PM IST
Mar 02 (Mon) – Rest Day
Mar 03 (Tue) – Round 6 – 7:30 PM IST
Mar 04 (Wed) – Round 7 – 7:30 PM IST
Mar 05 (Thu) – Round 8 – 7:30 PM IST
Mar 06 (Fri) – Round 9 – 3:30 PM IST (Final round starts early)
Prague Masters Winners
- 2025 – Aravindh Chithambaram (India)
- 2024 – Nodirbek Abdusattorov (Uzbekistan)
- 2023 – Ray Robson (USA)
- 2022 – Pentala Harikrishna (India)
- 2021 – Sam Shankland (USA)
- 2020 – Alireza Firouzja (FIDE/France)
- 2019 – Nikita Vitiugov (Russia)
Published on Feb 25, 2026