Arjun Leads Carlsen, Erdogmus Before Final Round In Malmo

GM Arjun Erigaisi ground out a 67-move win over GM Zhu Jiner to go into the final round of the 2026 TePe Sigeman Chess Tournament as the sole leader on 4.5/6. GM Magnus Carlsen is half a point back after using the King's Indian Defense to take down GM Andy Woodward, where he's joined by his last-round opponent GM Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus, who made an uneventful draw against GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov. GM Jorden van Foreest no longer has even a mathematical chance of winning the title after letting a big advantage slip against GM Nils Grandelius.    

The final round starts three hours earlier on Thursday, May 7, starting at 6 a.m. ET / 12:00 CEST / 3:30 p.m. IST.

Carlsen grabbed a second win in a row, while Arjun needed to beat Zhu twice after letting an advantage slip mid-game. It could have been three decisive games, but Grandelius survived.

Round 6 Results

Arjun's crucial late win puts him in pole position, but if he loses we could even get a four-way playoff, with Abdusattorov entering the picture. 

Standings after Round 6

Woodward 0-1 Carlsen

In round five, Carlsen had played the King's Indian Attack with White, and in round six he opted for the King's Indian Defense with Black in his first clash against his 16-year-old opponent. The world number-one explained:

Obviously only a win would give me any chances in this tournament, so I kind of had to go for it from the start. I was encouraged by the fact that he played a very long game yesterday as well, so he may not have been as rested and ready for a big fight.

Carlsen called the game "very cagey," credited his opponent with finding a lot of good moves, and said he was "more trying to hang on than anything else," but that all changed when he got the chance to sacrifice a bishop for a pawn on h3.

There were practical considerations:

I couldn’t figure everything out, but my thought process at that point was that we have a long, long way to the time control, so we’re essentially playing a rapid game now for the next 15 moves or so, and that seemed to suit that. The objective evaluation I’ve no clue about, but it felt like I wasn’t risking a ton there. 

The objective evaluation I've no clue about, but it felt like I wasn't risking a ton there.

—Magnus Carlsen on sacrificing his bishop

There were echoes of the game against Zhu the round before, as Woodward ultimately collapsed in time trouble, though this time Carlsen kept much better control until he reached move 40 with a completely winning position.

Carlsen wrapped things up crisply and that's our Game of the Day, which GM Rafael Leitao analyzes below.

That win sets up a fascinating clash in the final round against an even younger opponent—14-year-old Erdogmus, with both players on 4/6. Carlsen commented:

I think calling him talented is a little bit inaccurate, I think he’s just very, very good! He’s a top player and he’s ahead of what most... what all people have been at 14, so we’ll see. I guess I probably have to win tomorrow as well, but I’m happy with the fact that I’ve given myself a chance now. 

I think calling him talented is a little bit inaccurate—I think he's just very, very good!

—Magnus Carlsen on Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus

Erdogmus had a quiet game, but that's not the worst thing that can happen against the world number-four.

Erdogmus ½-½ Abdusattorov

It's been a strange tournament for 2024 TePe Sigeman Champion Abdusattorov, who after winning in round one has now drawn five games in a row. It's left him needing a lot of help in the final round to still challenge for first place, but at the same time there was little to complain about in round six, since he made an effortless draw with the black pieces after playing the almost new move 8...e5 in a 6.Be2 Najdorf Sicilian.

Erdogmus once again showed that while he burns up time he uses it well to navigate tricky positions, but let's hope for more action in his last-round game! 

Van Foreest ½-½ Grandelius

This time around, Grandelius couldn't be accused of going for a boring draw, but he admitted, "I was definitely in major trouble!" 

Little has gone right for Van Foreest in Malmo, however, except for a win over the five-time world champion. In this game everything seemed to turn on a move-order mix-up. If the Dutchman had immediately played 42.Rf7! he would likely have won, but he stumbled with 42.g5? first. He expected only capturing with the pawn and planned to play Rf7 next, only for a queen capture to come as a very cold shower.

Grandelius explained that his poor start in Malmo was mainly caused by not playing for a long time, while noting that the margins were small and it could easily have gone a little better: "It’s easy to say, but I don’t think 0/4 completely reflected my level of play, but if I have to guess, it’s just rust—I’m not worried about the future!"

It's just rust—I'm not worried about the future!

—Nils Grandelius on his form in Malmo 

That brings us to perhaps the key game of the round.

Zhu 0-1 Arjun

It was clear from Arjun choosing the Pirc Defense, starting 1.e4 d6, that he saw this as a game to win rather than resting on his laurels as co-leader, and he confirmed afterward, "I wanted to get a game and try to take my chances."

Up to a point, it seemed that things were going very smoothly for a player now up to world number-seven on the live ratings, but converting the advantage he built up would prove much tougher than he expected. Arjun noted Zhu played "incredibly well," and added:

I think she’s clearly the best women’s player right now and today I could see she was able to find a lot of very strong moves. There were some moments when I was hoping she wouldn’t play this move, but she always kept finding those moves which I was hoping she wouldn’t. She’s really good!

I think she's clearly the best women's player right now.

—Arjun Erigaisi on Zhu Jiner

Zhu had done everything right to save the game, but then she chose the wrong direction with her king and, with Arjun finding all the necessary only moves, there was no way back.

If Arjun beats Woodward in the final round he's the champion, while if he draws he's guaranteed at least a playoff. If Arjun loses and Carlsen-Erdogmus is a draw, Abdusattorov could even force a four-way playoff by beating Van Foreest.

If we do need playoff games, they'll be at a blitz time control with three minutes for all moves and a two-second increment from move one. Arjun said of that, "In general I’m more confident in my blitz than in any of the other formats, but considering I have a half-point lead I’d preferably not get there!"

Round 7 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 5: Carlsen Bounces Back; Arjun Catches Erdogmus
• 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