Shamsiddin Vokhidov Defeats Nepomniachtchi to Gain the Sole Lead at UzChess Cup
Shamsiddin Vokhidov is in a red-hot form; he scored his 3rd consecutive win of the Uzchess Cup Masters 2026 in the 5th round. Vokhidov defeated Ian Nepomniachtchi with the white pieces to gain the sole lead with 3.5/5 points. Mukhiddin Madaminov is also playing very exciting chess, as all 5 of his games were decisive without a single draw. In the 5th round, he defeated Shakhriyar Mamedyarov with black pieces. The clash between the top-2 seeded Arjun and Abdusattorov ends in a draw. Photo: UzChess Cup
Hans misses a chance
Hans Niemann was clearly winning against Vidit Gujrathi, but Vidit kept on playing a really bad position and showed his resilience and defensive technique to hold the position. This draw is going to motivate Vidit, as currently he is at the bottom of the leaderboard, but still, 4 rounds are left, and anything can happen.
Check out the final moments of the game
Check out the Games
Now we bring you all the action of Round 5
Shamsiddhin Vokhidov vs. Ian Nepomniachtchi
This was the 2nd classical game between Nepo and Vokhidov, and now the result is in favour of Vokhidov 2-0. He defeated Nepo last year in the same tournament. In this game, Vokhidov got an advantage in the endgame,, which he converted smoothly in the rook ending.
Check out the final moments
Puzzle of the Day
White just played 33.Qf4, it is a big, big mistake. Can you find out why this is a bad move? Hint (Trap a Piece). Check the game to find out the best move or type down the answer in the comment box below!!
Shakhriyar Mamedyarov vs Mukhiddin Madaminov
Madaminov is maintaining his great streak of beating 2700+ rated players. In the first round, he defeated Ian Nepomniachtchi, and now he has defeated Mamedyarov in the 5th round. It was a fairly equal position where Shakh blundered. Today's Puzzle of the Day is from this game
Replay the Masters Games of Round 5
Standings of Masters
Results of Round 5
Bo. | No. | Rtg |
| White | Result | Black |
| Rtg | No. | PGN | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 3 | 2637 | GM | 1 - 0 | GM | 2733 | 10 | |||||
2 | 4 | 2689 | GM | ½ - ½ | GM | 2634 | 2 | |||||
3 | 5 | 2717 | GM | 0 - 1 | GM | 2586 | 1 | |||||
4 | 6 | 2708 | GM | ½ - ½ | GM | 2742 | 9 | |||||
5 | 7 | 2777 | GM | ½ - ½ | GM | 2761 | 8 |
Round 6 Pairing
Bo. | No. | Rtg |
| White | Result | Black |
| Rtg | No. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 10 | 2733 | GM | GM | 2761 | 8 | |||||
2 | 9 | 2742 | GM | GM | 2777 | 7 | |||||
3 | 1 | 2586 | GM | GM | 2708 | 6 | |||||
4 | 2 | 2634 | GM | GM | 2717 | 5 | |||||
5 | 3 | 2637 | GM | GM | 2689 | 4 |
Photo Gallery: ChessBase India, Official Photos
Video Gallery: Here
Line Up
Venue: Crowne Plaza
UzChess Cup 2026 is hosted in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, a modern playing hall in the heart of Central Asia's fastest-growing chess nation. The venue sits minutes from the city centre, with comfortable spectator seating, a live commentary studio, and dedicated press facilities.
Schedule
The 2026 tournament runs from 7 to 15 June. Rounds start at 15:00 local time/ 15:30 IST, except on the last day when rounds start at 11:00 AM.
Time Control
90min/40moves+30min/end+30sec increment per move starting from move 1
Prize fund
The total prize fund is $150,000
Format
10- Player Round Robin with Classical Time Control
Important Links
UzChess Cup: Official site, Instagram, Twitter, Standings, and Results
Uzbekistan Chess Federation: Telegram, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook
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