From World Cup Second to Super-Tournament Champion: The Unbelievable Rise of Madaminov

by Devansh Singh - 16/06/2026

Mukhiddin Madaminov won the biggest tournament of his career! Madaminov started the tournament as the lowest-rated player in a super-strong field. On the final day, Madaminov drew against Hans Niemann while Shamsiddin Vokhidov drew against Nodirbek Abdusattorov, both players tied for the 1st place with 5.5/9 points. In the blitz tiebreak match, Madaminov defeated Vokhidov 2-0 to claim the UzChess Cup Masters 2026 title. Photo: Uzbekistan Chess Federation

Brothers of Destruction!!

We saw Madaminov travelling with Sindarov during his victories at the FIDE World Cup 2025 and during the FIDE Candidates 2026. Madaminov is more of a best friend than a second of Sindarov. When Mukhhidin Madaminov entered this field, not many expected him to be the champion, but he definitely believed in himself and won against a very strong field.

Have a look at this amazing photo of Madaminov with Sindarov after he won the FIDE World Cup | Photo: Michal Waluzsa

En route to his victory, he emerged as a 2700 killer, defeating three 2700+ players, including Ian Nepomniachtchi, Vidit Gujrathi, and Shakhriyar Mamedyarov. He increased his rating by 25.2 points and entered the 2600 club, and played with a performance rating of 2791!!

Madaminov with his hard-earned trophy at the UzChess Cup Masters

Puzzle of the Day

A simple yet important moment of the day, White just played 35.Bd3. Can you spot the winning move from the black side?? Black to play and win UzChess Cup Masters 2026!!

Black to play and win

Tiebreaks: Madaminov vs Vokhidov

After both players ended on the same 5.5/9 points, it was time for a tiebreak blitz match to decide the winner, and Mukhiddin Madaminov dominated the match one-sidedly as he did a clean sweep with 2-0.

Game 1

In the 1st game, Madaminov gained a big advantage in the opening and converted it smoothly to gain the lead with 1-0.

Mukhiddin Madaminov vs Shamsiddin Vokhidov (1-0)

Black just blundered and played Nd3, which allows white to pin the knight and get a material advantage

Game 2

In the 2nd game, Madaminov kept the pressure on the clock as he had more than 2 minutes while Vokhidov was playing on seconds, which helped him win the game. The puzzle of the day is from this game.

Shamsiddin Vokhidov vs. Mukhiddin Madaminov (0-1)

Ian Nepomniachtchi finishes in 3rd place

Shakhriyar Mamedyarov finishes in 4th

Last round win helped Arjun to finish in 5th place with 5/9

Arjun defeated Nikolas Theodorou in the final round

Vidit drew against Nodirbek Yakubboev

Final Round Games

Results of Round 9

Bo.	No.	Rtg		White	Result		Black	Rtg	No.	PGN
1	5	2717	GM	Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar	½ - ½	GM	Nepomniachtchi, Ian	2733	10	PGN
2	6	2708	GM	Vidit, Santosh Gujrathi	½ - ½	GM	Yakubboev, Nodirbek	2689	4	PGN
3	7	2777	GM	Abdusattorov, Nodirbek	½ - ½	GM	Vokhidov, Shamsiddin	2637	3	PGN
4	8	2761	GM	Erigaisi, Arjun	1 - 0	GM	Theodorou, Nikolas	2634	2	PGN
5	9	2742	GM	Niemann, Hans Moke	½ - ½	GM	Madaminov, Mukhiddin	2586	1	PGN

Details

Final Ranking

Rk.	SNo		Name	FED	Rtg	Pts.	TB1	TB2	TB3	TB4	TB5	TB6	w-we	K	rtg+/-
1	1	GM	Madaminov, Mukhiddin	UZB	2586	5,5	2	0	23,25	4	1	2791	2,52	10	25,2
2	3	GM	Vokhidov, Shamsiddin	UZB	2637	5,5	0	0	24,5	3	1	2785	1,84	10	18,4
3	10	GM	Nepomniachtchi, Ian	FID	2733	5	0	1	20,75	3	0	2738	0,03	10	0,3
4	5	GM	Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar	AZE	2717	5	0	2	20,25	3	2	2739	0,24	10	2,4
5	8	GM	Erigaisi, Arjun	IND	2761	5	0	3	21	2	0	2734	-0,35	10	-3,5
6	7	GM	Abdusattorov, Nodirbek	UZB	2777	4,5	0	0	21,25	1	0	2690	-1,06	10	-10,6
7	9	GM	Niemann, Hans Moke	USA	2742	4	0	0	19,25	1	0	2651	-1,08	10	-10,8
8	4	GM	Yakubboev, Nodirbek	UZB	2689	4	0	0	18,25	1	1	2656	-0,37	10	-3,7
9	6	GM	Vidit, Santosh Gujrathi	IND	2708	3,5	0	0	14,5	1	0	2617	-1,14	10	-11,4
10	2	GM	Theodorou, Nikolas	GRE	2634	3	0	0	13	2	0	2581	-0,63	10	-6,3

Details

TieBreak Score

Rk.	SNo			Name	FED	Rtg	Pts.	TB1
1	1		GM	Madaminov, Mukhiddin	UZB	2523	2	0
2	2		GM	Vokhidov, Shamsiddin	UZB	2550	0	0

Details

Photo Gallery: ChessBase India, Official Photos

Video Gallery: Here

Line Up

Lineup of Masters

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.