Georgian Championship 2026: Baadur Jobava and Nino Batsiashvili claim titles
Baadur Jobava and Nino Batsiashvili have been crowned Georgian chess champions, each claiming their fifth national title. The 85th Georgian Chess Championship and the 83rd Georgian Women’s Chess Championship were held concurrently in Tbilisi from January 27 to February 5, 2026. Both competitions were 10-player round-robins with classical time control. Top seed Jobava lived up to his status as the pre‑tournament favorite, seizing the lead in Round 4 and preserving it to the finish. Entering the final round on 5.5/8 – a half‑point ahead of Tornike Sanikidze and a full point ahead of Luka Kiladze – he secured the title with a quick draw against his nearest rival as all other games also ended in draws. Sanikidze took silver, while Kiladze completed the podium with bronze. Notably, the champion and the runner-up completed the event unbeaten. Final standings – Open Nino Batsiashvili continued her impressive run of strong results, dominating the women’s event. The top seed strung together five consecutive victories in Round 4-8 and secured the title with a round to spare, finishing on 7.5/9. In the final round, Meri Arabidze defeated Lela Javakhishvili in a hard‑fought encounter and caught up to tie for second place. However, Javakhishvili claimed silver on the Sonneborn–Berger tiebreak, leaving Arabidze with bronze. Final standings – Women Photos: Georgian Chess Federation Facebook
Abdusattorov tops FIDE Circuit 2026-27 leaderboard after Tata Steel triumph
Nodirbek Abdusattorov has taken the lead in the FIDE Circuit 2026–27 following his impressive victory at the Tata Steel Masters 2026, netting him 25.78 points. As the first major of the year and one of the most point‑heavy tournaments on the calendar, the Tata Steel Masters propelled its top finishers into prominent positions: Javokhir Sindarov, Hans Niemann, Jorden van Foreest, and Vincent Keymer now occupy the places directly behind the leader. Andy Woodward, winner of the Tata Steel Challengers, holds sixth place with 7.46 points, while runner‑up Vasyl Ivanchuk ranks eighth. The traditional Rilton Cup, which concluded in early January, initially produced an early circuit leader, the event’s winner Xu Xiangyu. However, following the Tata Steel tournaments, he has slipped to seventh place in the standings. Rounding out the top 10 are the top two finishers from the Brazil Series in Florianópolis: Andre Diamant with 5.42 points and Aryan Tari with 4.81 points. Dedicated page for the FIDE Circuit 2026-27 is maintained on our website, featuring the latest information on eligible tournaments, current standings, and regulations. Visit: FIDE Circuit 2026-27