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Dmitriy Khegay Takes Sole Lead as Round 6 Pairings Released: 5th Blue Chevaliers International Open 2026

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The 5th Blue Chevaliers International Open 2026 at the Novotel Phuket Resort in Patong Beach, Thailand, has reached its critical turning point following the completion of Round 5.
Round 5 Recap: Top Seed Claims Sole Leadership
Entering Round 5 in a seven-way tie for first place, top seed GM Dmitriy Khegay (2504) broke away from the field by securing a decisive victory on Board 1 over FM Jack Rodgers. Khegay now stands alone at the top of the leaderboard with an impressive 4.5 / 5.0 points.
Behind Khegay, the remaining co-leaders battled to draws, forming a formidable 12-player chasing pack tied at 4.0 / 5.0 points:

  • GM David C. Smerdon (AUS, 2461)
  • Arsens Batashevs (LAT, 2201)
  • IM Nubairshah Shaikh Mohammad (IND, 2387)
  • Neelabhro Bandyopadhyay (IND, 2165)
  • FM Nikolai Val. Makarov (FID, 2140)
  • IM Devaki V. Prasad (IND, 2153)
  • GM Harmen Jonkman (NED, 2289)
  • GM M.R. Venkatesh (IND, 2335)
  • GM Van Huy Nguyen (VIE, 2348)
  • AIM A Qil A Lauddin Abd Aziz (MAS, 2256)
  • GM Fabien Libiszewski (FRA, 2487)
  • FM Nicolas Grandadam (SUI, 2226)

Round 6 Top Board Matchups (September 11 at 09:30)
With four rounds remaining in the 9-round Swiss tournament, Round 6 features high-stakes encounters across the top boards:

  • Board 1: GM David C. Smerdon (4.0) vs. GM Dmitriy Khegay (4.5) — A marquee Grandmaster clash as 3rd seed Smerdon attempts to dethrone the sole leader with White.
  • Board 2: IM Nubairshah Shaikh Mohammad (4.0) vs. FM Nicolas Grandadam (4.0)
  • Board 3: Arsens Batashevs (4.0) vs. GM Van Huy Nguyen (4.0)
  • Board 4: GM M.R. Venkatesh (4.0) vs. FM Nikolai Val. Makarov (4.0)
  • Board 5: GM Harmen Jonkman (4.0) vs. IM Devaki V. Prasad (4.0)
  • Board 6: Neelabhro Bandyopadhyay (4.0) vs. AIM A Qil A Lauddin Abd Aziz (4.0)

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