2nd UzChess Cup R5: Abdusattorov regains sole lead, Parham and Arjun in pursuit
Nodirbek Abdusattorov (UZB) defeated Aravindh Chithambaram to regain sole lead 4/5 at 2nd UzChess Cup Masters. Aravindh sacrificed a center pawn early in the game, for which he never got enough compensation. Parham Maghsoodloo (IRI) outplayed R Praggnanandhaa for the better part of the game. However, in the endgame, Parham faltered and allowed his opponent to escape with a draw. It was not easy to find in low time, he missed it and Parham won the game. Arjun Erigaisi persevered his advantage against Shamsiddin Vokhidov (UZB). Eventually, his opponent made a mistake and Arjun broke through. Both Parham and Arjun are trailing Abdusattorov by a half point at 3.5/5 each. Javokhir Sindarov (UZB) scored the only other win of the round against Richard Rapport (HUN). Ian Nepomniachtchi was disappointed to share the point again, this time it was against Nodirbek Yakubboev (UZB). Round 6 starts tomorrow at 3 p.m. local time, 3:30 p.m. IST. Photos: Shahid Ahmed
Praggnanandhaa misses late chance to salvage a draw
All five games in the Challengers section ended in draws. It means both GM Nikolas Theodorou (GRE) and GM Andrew Hong (USA) are still the coleaders 4/5 each. GM Ortik Nigmatov (UZB) suffered his first loss of the event against compatriot, GM Abdimalik Abdisalimov (UZB). However, he is still at the top of the Futures section with 3.5/5.
Parham - Praggnanandhaa: 1-0
Parham Maghsoodloo (IRI, 2691) faced R Praggnanandhaa (2767) six times in Classical rated games. The Iranian has a better score 3.5-2.5 against Praggnanandhaa. After this game, the gap increased further.
Black needed to play 26...f6 26.Bh2 Bf8 and transfer the bishop to a different diagonal. Trading the bishop was not a good idea 26...Bxe5 27.dxe5 and White slowly outplayed Black to get decisive advantage. However, in the endgame, in time trouble, White blundered and allowed Black to salvage a draw.
60.Ke5?? was a huge mistake. Black spotted 60...Qe4+ correctly 61.Kd6 Qxe6 62.Kxe6 Bd3 63.Kxd5 now Bf1 is the only move that saves the game as Black needed to get rid of the h-pawn quickly and be ready to sacrifice his bishop for the b-pawn. It is not that easy especially in a pressure cooker situation when the time was ticking down. 63...Kh5?? the final mistake of the game 64.Ne5!+- Ba6 65.Ng4 Kh4 66.Nf2 the fundamental of knight and passed pawn against the opponent's king - the best way for knight to defend a passed pawn is from behind. 66...Kg3 67.Kc5 Kxf2 68.h4 and it's over.
Nepomniachtchi - Yakubboev: 0.5-0.5
This is the first time Ian Nepomniachtchi (2757) faced Nodirbek Yakubboev (2659) in a Classical rated game. It was a tepid draw.
Abdusattorov - Aravindh: 1-0
Nodirbek Abdusattorov (UZB, 2767) played only three Classical rated games against Aravindh Chithambaram (2749). Two of them ended in draws and Abdusattorov won one, which was at FIDE World Cup 2021.
13...d5 had to be played. However, Black never got enough compensation for the sacrificed pawn 14.exd5 cxd5 15.Nxd5 Be6? trading the knight and queen would have been a better idea than what was played 15...Be6? 16.Nec3 Nxd5 17.Nxd5 e4 18.Qc2 Rb8 Black attempted to generate some counterplay but it never yielded anything. A few moves later an incorrect king advancement 22...Kf7?? was the final nail in the coffin.
Vokhidov - Arjun: 0-1
All three Classical rated battles between Shamsiddin Vokhidov (UZB, 2644) and Arjun Erigaisi (2782) ended in draws. They all took place within a span of 15 months from 2023 to 2024.
24.Bxe5 gave the upper hand for Black c4 25.Qc2 Rxe5 26.Rad1 Rae8 Black has a strong protected passed pawn on c4. However, the nature of the position made things not so easy for Black. He had to wait for quite some time before he got the breakthrough he wanted.
White fell for the bait and took the b5-pawn. Black got the breakthrough he wanted 55...f5-+ and won the game a little over a dozen moves later.
Sindarov - Rapport: 1-0
Javokhir Sindarov (UZB, 2710) played Richard Rapport (ROU, 2714) only twice in Classical rated games. Both of them ended in draws, the recent one being at Tepe Sigeman & Co., last month.
Black arrived at a lost position in under 20 moves. After 18.Ra7 Black's position is crippled, his pieces cannot move freely. 18...b4 19.Bg5 Bf6 20.e5 dxe5 21.d6 White has a huge compensation for the sacrificed pawn. Rapport kept fighting and almost got back in the game. However, the d-passed pawn played a crucial role in White earning his victory.
For more Round 5 photos, please click here.
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Time Control
90 minutes for the first 40 moves + 30 minutes for the rest of the game with 30 seconds increment starting from move one in Masters. For Challengers, Futures and Open, the time control is 90 minutes + 30 seconds increment.
Prizes
The total prize fund is US$ 121500. Masters has $80000, Challengers $25000, Futures $11500 and Open $5000.
Masters Round 5 results
| Bo. | No. | Rtg | White | Result | Black | Rtg | No. | PGN | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | 2691 | GM | Maghsoodloo, Parham | 1 - 0 | GM | Praggnanandhaa, R | 2767 | 10 | PGN | ||
| 2 | 4 | 2757 | GM | Nepomniachtchi, Ian | ½ - ½ | GM | Yakubboev, Nodirbek | 2659 | 2 | PGN | ||
| 3 | 5 | 2767 | GM | Abdusattorov, Nodirbek | 1 - 0 | GM | Aravindh, Chithambaram Vr. | 2749 | 1 | PGN | ||
| 4 | 6 | 2644 | GM | Vokhidov, Shamsiddin | 0 - 1 | GM | Erigaisi, Arjun | 2782 | 9 | PGN | ||
| 5 | 7 | 2710 | GM | Sindarov, Javokhir | 1 - 0 | GM | Rapport, Richard | 2714 | 8 | PGN |
Standings after Round 5
| Rk. | SNo | Name | FED | Rtg | Pts. | TB1 | TB2 | TB3 | TB4 | TB5 | w-we | K | rtg+/- | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | GM | Abdusattorov, Nodirbek | UZB | 2767 | 4 | 0 | 7,25 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1,17 | 10 | 11,7 | |
| 2 | 3 | GM | Maghsoodloo, Parham | IRI | 2691 | 3,5 | 0,5 | 8,25 | 2 | 1 | 1,5 | 1,29 | 10 | 12,9 | |
| 3 | 9 | GM | Erigaisi, Arjun | IND | 2782 | 3,5 | 0,5 | 7,75 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0,47 | 10 | 4,7 | |
| 4 | 10 | GM | Praggnanandhaa, R | IND | 2767 | 3 | 1 | 5,75 | 2 | 0 | 1 | -0,03 | 10 | -0,3 | |
| 5 | 7 | GM | Sindarov, Javokhir | UZB | 2710 | 3 | 0 | 6,00 | 2 | 1 | 0,5 | 0,65 | 10 | 6,5 | |
| 6 | 4 | GM | Nepomniachtchi, Ian | FID | 2757 | 2 | 0,5 | 4,25 | 0 | 0 | 0,5 | -0,74 | 10 | -7,4 | |
| 7 | 2 | GM | Yakubboev, Nodirbek | UZB | 2659 | 2 | 0,5 | 4,00 | 1 | 1 | 0,5 | 0,11 | 10 | 1,1 | |
| 8 | 1 | GM | Aravindh, Chithambaram Vr. | IND | 2749 | 1,5 | 0 | 4,25 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -1,13 | 10 | -11,3 | |
| 9 | 8 | GM | Rapport, Richard | HUN | 2714 | 1,5 | 0 | 3,25 | 0 | 0 | 0,5 | -1,01 | 10 | -10,1 | |
| 10 | 6 | GM | Vokhidov, Shamsiddin | UZB | 2644 | 1 | 0 | 2,25 | 0 | 0 | 0,5 | -0,78 | 10 | -7,8 |
Round 6 pairings
| Bo. | No. | Rtg | White | Result | Black | Rtg | No. | PGN | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 | 2767 | GM | Praggnanandhaa, R | GM | Rapport, Richard | 2714 | 8 | ||||
| 2 | 9 | 2782 | GM | Erigaisi, Arjun | GM | Sindarov, Javokhir | 2710 | 7 | ||||
| 3 | 1 | 2749 | GM | Aravindh, Chithambaram Vr. | GM | Vokhidov, Shamsiddin | 2644 | 6 | ||||
| 4 | 2 | 2659 | GM | Yakubboev, Nodirbek | GM | Abdusattorov, Nodirbek | 2767 | 5 | ||||
| 5 | 3 | 2691 | GM | Maghsoodloo, Parham | GM | Nepomniachtchi, Ian | 2757 | 4 |
Challengers Round 5 results
| Bo. | No. | Rtg | White | Result | Black | Rtg | No. | PGN | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | 2522 | GM | Sivuk, Vitaly | ½ - ½ | GM | Hong, Andrew | 2589 | 10 | PGN | ||
| 2 | 4 | 2536 | GM | Madaminov, Mukhiddin | ½ - ½ | IM | Suyarov, Mukhammadzokhid | 2490 | 2 | PGN | ||
| 3 | 5 | 2370 | IM | Tokhirjonova, Gulrukhbegim | ½ - ½ | GM | Theodorou, Nikolas | 2613 | 1 | PGN | ||
| 4 | 6 | 2539 | GM | Vakhidov, Jakhongir | ½ - ½ | GM | Ma, Qun | 2630 | 9 | PGN | ||
| 5 | 7 | 2594 | GM | Abasov, Nijat | ½ - ½ | GM | Ivanchuk, Vasyl | 2634 | 8 | PGN |
Futures Round 5 results
| Bo. | No. | Rtg | White | Result | Black | Rtg | No. | PGN | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | 2513 | GM | Sychev, Klementy | 1 - 0 | IM | Saydaliev, Saidakbar | 2450 | 10 | PGN | ||
| 2 | 4 | 2517 | GM | Atabayev, Saparmyrat | ½ - ½ | IM | Begmuratov, Khumoyun | 2470 | 2 | PGN | ||
| 3 | 5 | 2515 | GM | Ruck, Robert | ½ - ½ | GM | Alekseev, Evgeny | 2520 | 1 | PGN | ||
| 4 | 6 | 2490 | GM | Abdisalimov, Abdimalik | 1 - 0 | GM | Nigmatov, Ortik | 2474 | 9 | PGN | ||
| 5 | 7 | 2588 | GM | Pichot, Alan | ½ - ½ | GM | Chatalbashev, Boris | 2489 | 8 | PGN |
Schedule
Every day from 19th to 26th June 2025, the round starts at 3 p.m. local time, 3:30 p.m. IST. Only the last round will start at 11 a.m. local time, 11:30 a.m. IST.
Links
Uzbekistan Chess Federation: Telegram, fb page and youtube
