Alireza Firouzja defeated world champion Gukesh Dommaraju in a 69-move battle in round two of the 2026 Quantbox Chennai Grand Masters on July 17, moving to a perfect 2/2 and taking a one-point lead in the standings.
The Frenchman had also scored the only win of the opening day, beating Indian GM M Pranesh in round one. The strong field in Chennai includes Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Arjun Erigaisi and Dmitry Andreikin, with Gukesh facing Andreikin in round three on July 18.
The tournament runs July 16-22 in Chennai, India. For Gukesh, the early loss stings in his home city just months before he defends his world title against Javokhir Sindarov in November.
Source: Chess.com