UzChess: Yakubboev sole leader after five rounds

Two tactical wins

Nodirbek Yakubboev made headlines last year by winning the strong Qatar Masters after outscoring the likes of Magnus Carlsen, Hikaru Nakamura and Anish Giri. The Uzbek grandmaster is now the sole leader in a 10-player single round-robin featuring 8 participants rated 2700 or above — in fact, the 22-year-old is the lowest-rated player in the field.

In the first 5 rounds of the event taking place in Tashkent, Yakubboev drew the 3 games he played with the black pieces and won the 2 games he played with white. His victories over Vidit Gujrathi (in round 2) and over Parham Maghsoodloo (in round 4) both featured wild tactical battles in which Yakubboev’s king had to survive from a vulnerable position.

Understanding Middlegame Strategies Vol.1 - 9

In this Video-Course we deal with different dynamic decisions involving pawns. The aim of this Course is to arm club/tournament players with fresh ideas which they can use in their own practice.

Tied for second place a half point behind Yakubboev are top seed Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Yu Yangyi and Javokhir Sindarov. Sindarov, the only player other than Yakubboev rated below 2700, upset Abdusattorov in round 4. Abdusattorov, on his part, defeated Maghsoodloo and Alexander Grischuk to go into the second half of the event with a +1 score.

Rounds 6-9 will take place from Tuesday to Friday, with the sole leader yet to face two of his closest chasers, Yu and Sindarov.

In shared second place — Nodirbek Abdusattorov

Yakubboev 1 - 0 Vidit

Yakubboev, Nodirbek2634

1–0

Vidit, Santosh Gujrathi2721

UzChess Cup Masters 2024 Tashkent07.06.2024[CC]

1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.e4 b5 4.a4 c6 5.axb5 cxb5 6.b3 e5 7.dxe5 Bb4+ Vidit spent more than 40 minutes before playing this (strong) move. 8.Bd2 Bc5 This is what Vidit prepared before playing the check from b4. The move does not leave Black in a losing position, but the alternative ...Qd4 was stronger. 8...Qd4 9.Bxb4 Qxa1 10.Bc3 Qa2 is the engine's suggestion, though it is scary to play this over the board, leaving all black pieces (except the queen) undeveloped. 9.Nf3 Better is 9.Nc3 and after Qd4 10.Qe2 Bg4 11.Nf3 everything is fine for White. 9...Nc6 Illya Nyzhnyk had played the more pressing 9...Qb6 which was followed by 10.Nc3 Engines prefer 10.Be2 Bxf2+ 11.Kf1 and the light-squared bishop has been developed. 10...Ne7 11.bxc4 Bxf2+ 12.Ke2 10.Nc3 Bg4 11.Nxb5 Nxe5 12.Bxc4 The calmer 12.Be2 is better, e.g.: Bxf3 13.gxf3 a6 14.Bc3 axb5 15.Bxe5 Qxd1+ 16.Kxd1 and White is better with the pair of bishops. 12...Nf6 13.h3 Bxf2+

Vidit goes for it, after spending 13 of the 35 minutes he had left on the clock. A brave (yet mistaken) sacrifice, which forces White to show excellent defensive abilities to refute it. Better is the more standard 13...Bxf3 14.gxf3 0-0 14.Kxf2 Grabbing the bishop only leads to a draw as per the engines' lines - but in the ensuing struggle, Yakubboev out-calculates his famed opponent. Correct is 14.Ke2 and e.g. Bxf3+ 15.gxf3 Bc5 White is better with the pair of bishops, but the position is double-edged. 14...Nxe4+ 15.Ke3 Escaping towards the centre! The best move in the position. Bxf3 16.gxf3 Nxd2 17.Qxd2 Qg5+ 18.f4 Nxc4+ 19.bxc4 Qg3+ 20.Ke4

White has a knight for a pawn, but the king is on e4 in a position with all six major pieces still on the board! 20...0-0 Very logical, but this move is the one that allows White to make the most of his extra piece. The knight turns out to be an excellent defender. Stronger is 20...f5+ 21.Ke5 Not 21.Kxf5 due to 0-0+ 22.Ke5 Rfe8+ 23.Kd5 Rad8+ 24.Nd6 Rxd6+ 25.Kxd6 Qg6+ and Black will win despite being a rook down. 26.Kc5 Qb6+ 27.Kd5 Rd8+ 21...0-0 and e.g.: 22.Ra6 with engines showing zeros, as White will struggle to escape a potential perpetual check despite being a piece up. 21.Nc3 Yakubboev employs the tempo lost by Vidit to re-route his knight to d5, creating a remarkable shelter for the king in the centre. Rac8 22.Kd4 Rfd8+ 23.Nd5 Qb3 24.Rac1 f5 25.Rhe1 Rd6 26.Re5 Kh8 27.Qc3

White has created a good-looking "fort" around the king. The conversion from this point on was not difficult for Yakubboev. 27...Qa2 28.Qc2 Qa3 29.Rce1 Rdd8 30.Qc3 Qa2 31.Kd3 Qg2 32.Qd2 Qxh3+ 33.Qe3 Qh5 34.Re7 h6 35.Qg3 Rg8 36.Rg1 Rb8 37.Rxg7 Rb3+ 38.Nc3 Rd8+ 39.Kc2 Rxc3+ 40.Kxc3 Also playable is 40.Qxc3 Qe2+ 41.Kb3 Rb8+ 42.Rb7+ with a deadly discovered check. 1–0

Expert analysis by IM Robert Ris

Calculation Training for 1400-1600 players

Mastering these tactical motifs is essential to deepen your understanding of the game and become a better player. After all, you neither want to overlook the given chances by your opponent, nor blunder yourself!

Standings after round 5

All games

Links

• Official website
• Full technical information on Chess-Results