Carlsen Bounces Back; Arjun Catches Erdogmus

GM Arjun Erigaisi pounced on a blunder by GM Jorden van Foreest to grab his second win and join GM Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus in the 2026 TePe Sigeman Chess Tournament lead. Erdogmus escaped with a 104-move draw vs. GM Andy Woodward, while GM Magnus Carlsen is half a point back after winning an "incredibly shaky" game against GM Zhu Jiner. GM Nils Grandelius finally got on the scoreboard with a draw against GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov.   

The sixth round is on Wednesday, May 6, starting at 9 a.m. ET / 15:00 CEST / 6:30 p.m. IST.

Grandelius-Abdusattorov was a rare 'non-game' in Malmo, but we got two decisive games and one missed win and 104-move draw in the remaining games.

Round 5 Results

Arjun has caught Erdogmus with two rounds to go, while Carlsen joins Abdusattorov half a point behind. Grandelius is off the mark! 

Standings after Round 5

Grandelius ½-½ Abdusattorov

This was an instantly forgettable game, but it was also utterly understandable—after four rounds in which the Swedish number-one's uncompromising chess had given him four losses in a row, Grandelius finally decided enough was enough and played what he cheerfully admitted on the live broadcast was "a very boring game!"

It was a case of job done, and his opponent Abdusattorov acknowledged the fact: "It was actually quite funny that after the game my opponent said to me only one word, 'congrats!'"

It was actually quite funny that after the game my opponent said to me only one word, 'congrats!'

—Nils Grandelius on Nodirbek Abdusattorov's reaction to their draw

Abdusattorov had missed two big chances in earlier games in Malmo this year, but in the fourth draw in a row there was no hint of anything more than equality.

"Of course it feels quite nice to not have zero points, at least!" said Grandelius, and chess fans could have no complaints, since the remaining games were packed with action.

Carlsen 1-0 Zhu

If there was one certainty about this game it was that Carlsen would try to hit back after his loss to Van Foreest. Sure enough, he went for the King's Indian Attack and was willing to take risks, though he admitted after the game that things had gotten completely out of hand: "It was incredibly shaky! I thought early on that I was doing alright, but I couldn’t figure it out, and then I lost the thread. I think she completely outplayed me for a while there—I didn’t like what was going on at all."

I think she completely outplayed me for a while there!

—Magnus Carlsen on Zhu Jiner 

Carlsen admitted his 14.Nh4?! was "really a bit too much," explaining, "I just didn't know what to do and I was down to 26 minutes or something, and having no idea what my plans were," while a badly-timed 20.f3? left White in deep trouble, at least against best play.

Zhu was also struggling to navigate the complexities, however, and withdrew her bishop to h8 instead of following the computer suggestion of inviting a trade with 20...Kh7!.

The clock situation only added to the tension, with Carlsen getting down to under a minute on his clock while Zhu's queen, rook, and knight threatened to overwhelm the white king. It was balanced on a razor's edge, but, perhaps unsurprisingly, Carlsen dodged all the threats, pounced on a mistake, and emerged after the time control with a totally winning position. Zhu had seen enough and resigned on move 41.

A very relieved Carlsen commented, "It was very, very dangerous for me, and I just feel really, really lucky that I managed to survive—it was very difficult to calculate, and I certainly was not capable!"

That's our Game of the Day, which GM Rafael Leitao has analyzed below.

Carlsen also addressed the loss the day before, commenting: "Yesterday was kind of fun, to be honest! A lot more fun than today, that’s for sure." He talked about the unusual feeling (for him) of feeling relief at saving a game only to find himself losing again, but credited Van Foreest: "I lost quite deservedly as well, so those things happen when you play pretty sharp chess, which I’m not really capable of at the moment!"

Carlsen also talked about Van Foreest's relatively late rise into the top-20. He explained the Dutchman has great potential, but is an unusual player: "Obviously I’ve played against him and I’ve seen a lot of his games against others, also in training camps. Jorden can look 2800 and 2400 in the span of minutes, both with his moves and his explanations and all of that, and that kind of makes him really interesting."

Jorden can look 2800 and 2400 in the span of minutes, both with his moves and his explanations.

—Magnus Carlsen on Jorden van Foreest

Unfortunately for Van Foreest, round five witnessed one of his 2400 moments! 

Arjun 1-0 Van Foreest

Unsurprisingly for a clash of two of the most creative players in chess, this game left the trodden path early on. Van Foreest's 4...h6 was almost a new move, with Arjun saying he didn't know it but responded fast because he expected the position to transpose into something he knew.

It didn't, so Arjun then decided to "freestyle" (his word) with 7.Ne5, threatening mate-in-one on move seven. He explained that after a normal setup such as 7.g3 and Bg2 to follow, Black would be quite comfortable.

It wasn't a hard threat to parry in itself, but Van Foreest's delay when playing 7...e6 was understandable, since we saw in the game that his light-squared bishop would get completely shut out on h7 after Arjun was able to play f3 and e4. "I think he made a lot of submissive moves" was how Arjun explained why things gradually became unpleasant for Black.

A long game still seemed inevitable, with Arjun trying to massage a small edge into a win, when suddenly Van Foreest, despite not being in time trouble, lashed out with a very non-submissive move, 25...e5?. GM Erwin l'Ami called it "a huge decision," that would either force a quick draw or, which is what we saw in the game, condemn Black to a swift loss. Only five moves later, the Dutchman resigned.

That win took Arjun into the lead and, after starting the tournament outside the top 10, he's now up four places to world number-seven on the live rating list.

The win could have been enough for the sole lead, but Erdogmus dodged a bullet against another player hunting a bounce-back win, Woodward.

Woodward ½-½ Erdogmus

This was another game that featured an ...e5 break by Black, but this one was completely sound and seemed as though it was going to lead to a quick draw, with Erdogmus safely maintaining the lead. Instead it led to a treacherous queen endgame where Woodward was a pawn up and, in the run-up to the time control, could have won another pawn and likely the game. Instead the chance slipped, but over 60 more moves followed before Woodward finally acceded to a draw.

Both teenagers have huge games to follow that marathon. In Wednesday's penultimate round, Erdogmus has White against Abdusattorov, while Woodward is White vs. Carlsen. Zhu-Arjun will be the other big game for the battle to win the tournament.

Round 6 Pairings

The Tepe Sigeman Chess Tournament takes place May 1-7, 2026, at the Elite Plaza Hotel in Malmo, Sweden. The players compete in an eight-player single round-robin. The time control is 90 minutes for 40 moves, with 30 more minutes for the rest of the game and a 30-second increment per move from move one.

Previous coverage:

• Round 4: Van Foreest Beats Carlsen In Thriller; 14-Year-Old Erdogmus Grabs Sole Lead
• Round 3: Erdogmus, Arjun Grab 1st Wins To Join Leaders
• Round 2: Carlsen Beats Grandelius To Catch Leaders 
• Round 1: Abdusattorov, Woodward Lead As Carlsen Returns To Classical Chess In Malmo
• Carlsen Makes Surprise Classical Return To Face World's Brightest Young Stars