2nd UzChess Cup R6: Battle of the Nodirbeks last over six hours where Yakubboev prevails, Arjun joins the lead
The sixth round of 2nd UzChess Cup Masters 2025 had everything one can ask for in a super tournament. Richard Rapport (HUN) won an exciting game against R Praggnanandhaa where 'The Artist' showed his signature style. On the other hand, the battle of the Nodirbeks was an absolute thriller. Abdusattorov was on the back foot for the better part of the game. In the endgame, it seemed like the former World Rapid champion might squeeze out a draw. However, in the final moments, he made a huge blunder which cost him the game against the defending champion, Yakubboev. Arjun Erigaisi drew with Javokhir Sindarov (UZB). Currently, Arjun, Parham Maghsoodloo (IRI) and Abdusattorov are in a three-way lead 4/6. Round 7 starts tomorrow at 3 p.m. local time, 3:30 p.m. IST. Photos: Shahid Ahmed
Two contrasting games of the tournament
The sixth round was the most eventful round of the tournament. It had two contrasting games - one sharp tactical artistry by the creative genius, Richard Rapport (HUN). The other one was between two top Nodirbeks of Uzbekistan - Yakubboev vs Abdusattorov. After battling for six hours and 130+ moves later, Yakubboev prevailed. What happened in all those grueling six hours, what the players had gone through, the emotional turmoil is something which the words will always fail to describe in its entirety. One thing is for sure, as all players said, everyone can beat everyone here. That is exactly what is happening. After the sixth round, Arjun Erigaisi and Parham Maghsoodloo are the only two players who are undefeated. They joined Abdusattorov in the lead 4/6. Javokhir Sindarov (UZB) is close behind at 3.5/6. The last three rounds are surely going to be exciting.
GM Nikolas Theodorou (GRE) defeated GM Jakhongir Vakhidov (UZB) to emerge sole leader 5/6 in the Challengers section, thanks to the legend, GM Vasyl Ivanchuk's (UKR) victory over GM Andrew Hong (USA). In the Futures event, GM Ortik Nigmatov (UZB) scored the sole win of the round against GM Alan Pichot (ESP) to increase his sole lead by a full point 4.5/6.
Praggnanandhaa - Rapport: 0-1
Richard Rapport (HUN, 2714) played three Classical rated games against R Praggnanandhaa (2767) and he has won all of them. Both players were coming into this round with a loss on the previous day. Rapport made a beautiful knight sacrifice to gain initiative.
15...Nxd5! does not help Black gain anything immediately, yet there is a long-term advantage. 16.exd5 Bf5+ 17.Ka1 Ra4 18.Nc1 Qd7 19.Bc4 Rc8 Black has every piece ready to attack whereas White's pieces are all over the place. 20.Qe2 e4 21.Bb3 exf3 22.gxf3 Ra5 23.Bc4?? and time for another beautiful move Bc2!-+
23...Bc2! is another beautiful sacrifice by Black. White obviously cannot take it as 24.Qxc2 Qxb5 accelerates Black's win. 24.Rd2 Ba4 25.Nd4 Rac5 and Black won the game after a dozen more moves.
Arjun - Sindarov: 0.5-0.5
Arjun Erigaisi (2782) faced Javokhir Sindarov (UZB, 2710) four times in Classical rated games. Three of them ended in draws. Arjun won the fourth one back in FIDE World Cup 2023. The fifth one was a well contested draw.
Aravindh - Vokhidov: 0.5-0.5
This is the first time Aravindh Chithambaram (2749) faced Shamsiddin Vokhidov (UZB, 2644) in an over-the-board rated game. Aravindh was forced to go for perpetual checks in a queen and minor piece endgame as his opponent invaded with his queen and captured two crucial pawns.
Yakubboev - Abdusattorov: 1-0
Nodirbek Yakubboev (UZB, 2659) has played plenty of games against Nodirbek Abdusattorov (UZB, 2767), 13 Classical games to be exact. The score is tied at 6.5-6.5. Last year, their battle against each other at this event ended in a draw. This year also seemed to be ending in a draw despite Yakubboev getting a substantial material advantage earlier.
In this complex middlegame, Black made a positional mistake of taking the d4-pawn 22...cxd4 23.cxd4 e5 24.Qc1 exd4 25.Be7 Qa7 26.Bc5 Qa5 27.Rxd4 c6 28.Rxd8+ Rxd8 29.Bxc6 and White ended up with a passed pawn on the a-file. The evaluation is white is going to win. However, in reality it is not easy, especially when your opponent is a staunch fighter.
Black decided to give up his knight for two pawns which is a great practical decision. 41...Nxf3+ 42.gxf3 Rxb5 and now what is White's winning plan? Yes White has a bishop for a pawn but it is not at all easy to figure things out practically.
After 86.Rxh4+ Rh6 the game ideally should end in a draw, right? Except, the black king is in a precarious position. It is certainly the worst place the king can be when you have to defend the endgame for 50 moves. A few days ago, he had to defend the same endgame against Vishy Anand, except his king was slightly better placed and it was a Rapid event.
On 43rd move in the rook and bishop vs rook endgame, Black blundered 129...Rc2?? 130.Kf6++- Kg8 131.Rd8 Kh7 132.Kf5 and now checkmate is unstoppable.
Parham - Nepomniachtchi: 0.5-0.5
Parham Maghsoodloo (IRI, 2691) played only one Classical rated game against Ian Nepomniachtchi (2757) at 86th Tata Steel Masters last year. It ended in a draw. This time also the result was the same.
For more Round 6 photos, please click here.
Replay live stream
Replay Challengers Round 6 games
Replay Futures Round 6 games
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 6 results
| Bo. | No. | Rtg | White | Result | Black | Rtg | No. | PGN | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 | 2767 | GM | Praggnanandhaa, R | 0 - 1 | GM | Rapport, Richard | 2714 | 8 | PGN | ||
| 2 | 9 | 2782 | GM | Erigaisi, Arjun | ½ - ½ | GM | Sindarov, Javokhir | 2710 | 7 | PGN | ||
| 3 | 1 | 2749 | GM | Aravindh, Chithambaram Vr. | ½ - ½ | GM | Vokhidov, Shamsiddin | 2644 | 6 | PGN | ||
| 4 | 2 | 2659 | GM | Yakubboev, Nodirbek | 1 - 0 | GM | Abdusattorov, Nodirbek | 2767 | 5 | PGN | ||
| 5 | 3 | 2691 | GM | Maghsoodloo, Parham | ½ - ½ | GM | Nepomniachtchi, Ian | 2757 | 4 | PGN |
Standings after Round 6
| Rk. | SNo | Name | FED | Rtg | Pts. | TB1 | TB2 | TB3 | TB4 | TB5 | w-we | K | rtg+/- | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 | GM | Erigaisi, Arjun | IND | 2782 | 4 | 0 | 11,50 | 2 | 2 | 2,5 | 0,37 | 10 | 3,7 | |
| 2 | 3 | GM | Maghsoodloo, Parham | IRI | 2691 | 4 | 0 | 11,50 | 2 | 1 | 2,5 | 1,38 | 10 | 13,8 | |
| 3 | 5 | GM | Abdusattorov, Nodirbek | UZB | 2767 | 4 | 0 | 9,75 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0,52 | 10 | 5,2 | |
| 4 | 7 | GM | Sindarov, Javokhir | UZB | 2710 | 3,5 | 0 | 9,75 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0,75 | 10 | 7,5 | |
| 5 | 2 | GM | Yakubboev, Nodirbek | UZB | 2659 | 3 | 0,5 | 8,75 | 2 | 1 | 1,5 | 0,76 | 10 | 7,6 | |
| 6 | 10 | GM | Praggnanandhaa, R | IND | 2767 | 3 | 0,5 | 7,50 | 2 | 0 | 1,5 | -0,60 | 10 | -6 | |
| 7 | 4 | GM | Nepomniachtchi, Ian | FID | 2757 | 2,5 | 0,5 | 7,75 | 0 | 0 | 1,5 | -0,83 | 10 | -8,3 | |
| 8 | 8 | GM | Rapport, Richard | HUN | 2714 | 2,5 | 0,5 | 7,00 | 1 | 1 | 1,5 | -0,44 | 10 | -4,4 | |
| 9 | 1 | GM | Aravindh, Chithambaram Vr. | IND | 2749 | 2 | 0 | 5,50 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -1,27 | 10 | -12,7 | |
| 10 | 6 | GM | Vokhidov, Shamsiddin | UZB | 2644 | 1,5 | 0 | 4,00 | 0 | 0 | 0,5 | -0,64 | 10 | -6,4 |
Round 7 pairings
| Bo. | No. | Rtg | White | Result | Black | Rtg | No. | PGN | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | 2757 | GM | Nepomniachtchi, Ian | GM | Praggnanandhaa, R | 2767 | 10 | ||||
| 2 | 5 | 2767 | GM | Abdusattorov, Nodirbek | GM | Maghsoodloo, Parham | 2691 | 3 | ||||
| 3 | 6 | 2644 | GM | Vokhidov, Shamsiddin | GM | Yakubboev, Nodirbek | 2659 | 2 | ||||
| 4 | 7 | 2710 | GM | Sindarov, Javokhir | GM | Aravindh, Chithambaram Vr. | 2749 | 1 | ||||
| 5 | 8 | 2714 | GM | Rapport, Richard | GM | Erigaisi, Arjun | 2782 | 9 |
Challengers Round 6 results
| Bo. | No. | Rtg | White | Result | Black | Rtg | No. | PGN | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 | 2589 | GM | Hong, Andrew | 0 - 1 | GM | Ivanchuk, Vasyl | 2634 | 8 | PGN | ||
| 2 | 9 | 2630 | GM | Ma, Qun | ½ - ½ | GM | Abasov, Nijat | 2594 | 7 | PGN | ||
| 3 | 1 | 2613 | GM | Theodorou, Nikolas | 1 - 0 | GM | Vakhidov, Jakhongir | 2539 | 6 | PGN | ||
| 4 | 2 | 2490 | IM | Suyarov, Mukhammadzokhid | ½ - ½ | IM | Tokhirjonova, Gulrukhbegim | 2370 | 5 | PGN | ||
| 5 | 3 | 2522 | GM | Sivuk, Vitaly | ½ - ½ | GM | Madaminov, Mukhiddin | 2536 | 4 | PGN |
Standings after Round 6
| Rk. | SNo | Name | FED | Rtg | Pts. | TB1 | TB2 | TB3 | TB4 | TB5 | w-we | K | rtg+/- | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | GM | Theodorou, Nikolas | GRE | 2613 | 5 | 0 | 14,00 | 4 | 1 | 2,5 | 1,17 | 10 | 11,7 | |
| 2 | 10 | GM | Hong, Andrew | USA | 2589 | 4 | 0 | 11,00 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0,80 | 10 | 8 | |
| 3 | 4 | GM | Madaminov, Mukhiddin | UZB | 2536 | 3,5 | 0 | 9,00 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0,87 | 10 | 8,7 | |
| 4 | 3 | GM | Sivuk, Vitaly | SWE | 2522 | 3 | 1 | 9,00 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0,49 | 10 | 4,9 | |
| 5 | 8 | GM | Ivanchuk, Vasyl | UKR | 2634 | 3 | 0 | 9,00 | 2 | 2 | 1,5 | -0,85 | 10 | -8,5 | |
| 6 | 6 | GM | Vakhidov, Jakhongir | UZB | 2539 | 2,5 | 1 | 6,50 | 1 | 1 | 1 | -0,22 | 10 | -2,2 | |
| 7 | 7 | GM | Abasov, Nijat | AZE | 2594 | 2,5 | 1 | 6,00 | 1 | 0 | 0,5 | -0,84 | 10 | -8,4 | |
| 8 | 9 | GM | Ma, Qun | CHN | 2630 | 2,5 | 1 | 6,00 | 0 | 0 | 0,5 | -1,46 | 10 | -14,6 | |
| 9 | 5 | IM | Tokhirjonova, Gulrukhbegim | UZB | 2370 | 2 | 0,5 | 6,00 | 0 | 0 | 0,5 | 0,60 | 10 | 6 | |
| 10 | 2 | IM | Suyarov, Mukhammadzokhid | UZB | 2490 | 2 | 0,5 | 5,50 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -0,56 | 10 | -5,6 |
Round 7 pairings
| Bo. | No. | Rtg | White | Result | Black | Rtg | No. | PGN | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | 2536 | GM | Madaminov, Mukhiddin | GM | Hong, Andrew | 2589 | 10 | ||||
| 2 | 5 | 2370 | IM | Tokhirjonova, Gulrukhbegim | GM | Sivuk, Vitaly | 2522 | 3 | ||||
| 3 | 6 | 2539 | GM | Vakhidov, Jakhongir | IM | Suyarov, Mukhammadzokhid | 2490 | 2 | ||||
| 4 | 7 | 2594 | GM | Abasov, Nijat | GM | Theodorou, Nikolas | 2613 | 1 | ||||
| 5 | 8 | 2634 | GM | Ivanchuk, Vasyl | GM | Ma, Qun | 2630 | 9 |
Futures Round 6 results
| Bo. | No. | Rtg | White | Result | Black | Rtg | No. | PGN | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 | 2450 | IM | Saydaliev, Saidakbar | ½ - ½ | GM | Chatalbashev, Boris | 2489 | 8 | PGN | ||
| 2 | 9 | 2474 | GM | Nigmatov, Ortik | 1 - 0 | GM | Pichot, Alan | 2588 | 7 | PGN | ||
| 3 | 1 | 2520 | GM | Alekseev, Evgeny | ½ - ½ | GM | Abdisalimov, Abdimalik | 2490 | 6 | PGN | ||
| 4 | 2 | 2470 | IM | Begmuratov, Khumoyun | ½ - ½ | GM | Ruck, Robert | 2515 | 5 | PGN | ||
| 5 | 3 | 2513 | GM | Sychev, Klementy | ½ - ½ | GM | Atabayev, Saparmyrat | 2517 | 4 | PGN |
Standings after Round 6
| Rk. | SNo | Name | FED | Rtg | Pts. | TB1 | TB2 | TB3 | TB4 | TB5 | w-we | K | rtg+/- | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 | GM | Nigmatov, Ortik | UZB | 2474 | 4,5 | 0 | 12,50 | 4 | 1 | 2,5 | 1,84 | 10 | 18,4 | |
| 2 | 4 | GM | Atabayev, Saparmyrat | TKM | 2517 | 3,5 | 0,5 | 10,25 | 2 | 1 | 2,5 | 0,42 | 10 | 4,2 | |
| 3 | 1 | GM | Alekseev, Evgeny | ISR | 2520 | 3,5 | 0,5 | 9,75 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0,27 | 10 | 2,7 | |
| 4 | 3 | GM | Sychev, Klementy | FID | 2513 | 3 | 0 | 9,00 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -0,21 | 10 | -2,1 | |
| 5 | 2 | IM | Begmuratov, Khumoyun | UZB | 2470 | 3 | 0 | 9,00 | 1 | 0 | 1,5 | 0,24 | 10 | 2,4 | |
| 6 | 8 | GM | Chatalbashev, Boris | DEN | 2489 | 3 | 0 | 7,50 | 1 | 0 | 0,5 | 0,20 | 10 | 2 | |
| 7 | 10 | IM | Saydaliev, Saidakbar | UZB | 2450 | 2,5 | 1,5 | 7,00 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0,02 | 10 | 0,2 | |
| 8 | 7 | GM | Pichot, Alan | ESP | 2588 | 2,5 | 1 | 6,00 | 2 | 1 | 0,5 | -1,32 | 10 | -13,2 | |
| 9 | 6 | GM | Abdisalimov, Abdimalik | UZB | 2490 | 2,5 | 0,5 | 8,50 | 1 | 0 | 1,5 | -0,38 | 10 | -3,8 | |
| 10 | 5 | GM | Ruck, Robert | HUN | 2515 | 2 | 0 | 6,00 | 0 | 0 | 1,5 | -1,08 | 10 | -10,8 |
Round 7 pairings
| Bo. | No. | Rtg | White | Result | Black | Rtg | No. | PGN | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | 2517 | GM | Atabayev, Saparmyrat | IM | Saydaliev, Saidakbar | 2450 | 10 | ||||
| 2 | 5 | 2515 | GM | Ruck, Robert | GM | Sychev, Klementy | 2513 | 3 | ||||
| 3 | 6 | 2490 | GM | Abdisalimov, Abdimalik | IM | Begmuratov, Khumoyun | 2470 | 2 | ||||
| 4 | 7 | 2588 | GM | Pichot, Alan | GM | Alekseev, Evgeny | 2520 | 1 | ||||
| 5 | 8 | 2489 | GM | Chatalbashev, Boris | GM | Nigmatov, Ortik | 2474 | 9 |
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
