Backside-seed GM Nodirbek Yakubboev edged out top-seed GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov on tiebreaks to assert the $25,000 first prize on the UzChess Cup Masters, a part of a much bigger chess pageant in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. The 2 Uzbek GMs scored 5.5/9, half some extent greater than GMs Yu Yangyi and Alexey Sarana. Well-known grandmasters Shakhriyar Mamedyarov and Alexander Grischuk completed in disappointing eighth and ninth locations, simply forward of tailender GM Parham Maghsoodloo.
Ultimate Standings
The UzChess Cup was a robust worldwide match held in Uzbekistan’s capital, with eight 2700s and two 2600s within the subject, amongst them top-10 GM Abdusattorov in addition to FIDE Candidate GM Vidit Gujrathi. 4 native gamers acquired the prospect to face robust worldwide grandmasters in a nine-round all-play-all.
The primary prize surprisingly went to Yakubboev, the “different Nodirbek” and with 2634 the lowest-rated participant within the subject. Nonetheless, as a three-time Uzbekistani Champion, board two of the gold-winning Olympiad workforce of 2022, and the 2023 Qatar Masters Champion, Yakubboev was undoubtedly a pressure to reckon with.
On this occasion, he remained undefeated with seven attracts and wins in opposition to Vidit and Maghsoodloo.
Particularly that first win, from the second spherical, was spectacular. Yakubboev performed with a metal king that might have received him a King Of The Hill recreation by transfer 20.
Prime seed Abdusattorov reached the identical quantity of factors however with one further win and a loss. He earned $20,000 for second place.
Abdusattorov’s solely loss was in opposition to his compatriot GM Javokhir Sindarov. This recreation caught the attention of the writer for the truth that it is uncommon lately to see a Bc4 Dragon with opposite-side castling performed out on a excessive degree. Whereas the opening has seen numerous slugfests, this one turned out slightly positional:
Sarana and Yu shared third place as the one different gamers to complete on a plus rating. (Aside from the match winner, the one participant to stay undefeated was GM Richard Rapport, with 9 attracts.) Their head-to-head recreation was received by the Chinese language GM, in spherical three. He did not thoughts going for an endgame straight from the opening, and particularly the ultimate section was instructive:
It was a troublesome match for the large names of an earlier era: Mamedyarov misplaced 8.2 ranking factors and Grischuk 11.1. Each went house with out scoring a single win. Maghsoodloo, in the meantime, continues to be an erratic participant who alternates between good and dangerous performances, it appears. In Tashkent, issues did not go his means.
The Challengers group noticed extra Uzbek success with GM Shamsiddin Vokhidov taking first place forward of GM Alexandr Predke, now representing Serbia. There was additionally a Futures group, received by the Ukrainian GM Vitaly Sivuk who now performs for Sweden. He was additionally the winner of this yr’s Rilton Cup.
The UzChess Cup 2024 came about June 6-14, 2024, in Tashkent, Uzbekistan that includes a Masters, Challengers and Futures 10-player round-robin. The time management was 90 minutes for the primary 40 strikes adopted by half-hour for the remainder of the sport, with a 30-second increment from transfer one. Yow will discover all video games for replay right here.
