UzChess: Abdusattorov beats Yu, catches Yakubboev

by Carlos Alberto Colodro
6/12/2024 – Round 6 of the UzChess Cup saw Nodirbek Abdusattorov beating Yu Yangyi to catch Nodirbek Yakubboev atop the standings. Abdusattorov outplayed Yu out of an Italian Opening. All remaining games ended drawn, leaving Javokhir Sindarov in sole third place as the only player standing a half point behind the co-leaders. | Photos: Official website

Winning starts with what you know
The new version 18 offers completely new possibilities for chess training and analysis: playing style analysis, search for strategic themes, access to 6 billion Lichess games, player preparation by matching Lichess games, download Chess.com games with built-in API, built-in cloud engine and much more.

The Nodirbeks top the standings

Local representatives Nodirbek Yakubboev, Nodirbek Abdusattorov and Javokhir Sindarov are occupying the three top spots in the standings of the UzChess Cup in Tashkent. Abdusattorov beat Yu Yangyi in round 6 to catch Yakubboev in the lead, while Sindarov signed a quick draw with Shakhriyar Mamedyarov to go into the final three rounds of the event in sole third place, as the only player standing a half point behind his compatriots.

The three Uzbek GMs played on boards 1, 2 and 3 for the national team that grabbed gold at the 2022 Chess Olympiad. Coached by Ivan Sokolov, the Uzbek squad entered the Olympiad as the 14th seeds, and outscored teams as strong as the United States, India and Norway (led by world number one Magnus Carlsen). In Tashkent, Yakubboev and Sindarov are the two lowest-rated participants, as the only players with a rating below 2700.

A half point further back stand Yu, Richard Rapport and Alexey Sarana. Coincidentally, all three players sharing fourth place will play with the black pieces in two out of the three remaining rounds of the event.

Javokhir Sindarov

Javokhir Sindarov

Yu 0 - 1 Abdusattorov

YuYu, Yangyi27150–1Abdusattorov, Nodirbek2766Abdusattorov
GMUzChess Cup Masters 2024
Tashkent11.06.2024[CC]
GM
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.d3 Be7 5.0-0 0-0 6.Re1 d6 7.a4 Be6 8.Bxe6 fxe6 9.c3 a5 10.Be3 Yu is the first one to deviate from theory. The initial moves of the game have created the framework for a deep strategic battle. Caruana (white) and Dubov had continued with 10.Na3 h6 11.Qb3 Qd7 12.Nc4 b6 13.h3 at the World Blitz Championship last year - this position resembles the setup soon created by Yu and Abdusattorov. 10...Qd7 11.Nbd2 h6 Abdusattorov rejects to play a quick ...d6-d5. As per the amount of time employed by the two players, it seems like they were still following their preparation. 12.Nc4 Rf7 13.Qb3 b6 14.Qb5 g5
Abdusattorov goes for it on the kingside, as he is ready to bring his queenside rook to the attack along the f-file. He still had more than an hour on the clock at this point. 15.h3 Raf8 16.Rad1 g4 17.hxg4 Yu played this move rather quickly. It is not a clear mistake, but he could have considered Nf3-h2 for a bit longer (he was up on the clock at this point). Perhaps he had looked at this setup and was ready to capture the g-pawn in these positions. 17.Nh2 h5 18.Bh6 forces Black to move one of his rooks away from the f-file, though it also allows the black kingside pawns to advance. 17...Nxg4 18.d4 If you are being attacked on the flank, you should counter-attack in the centre. Or at least that is what is usually advised. Rg7 19.Kf1 A correct king manoeuvre. Qe8 20.dxe5 Qg6 A crucial variation! Abdusattorov knows that he needs to make the most of his initiative, and leaves the c6-knight undefended. 21.Ke2 The strongest reply. 21.Qxc6 fails to Nxf2 and if 22.Bxf2 Black counts with Qxg2+ 23.Ke2 Qxf3+ 24.Kd2 Qxf2+ 25.Kc1 Qc5 and Black emerges with an extra (outside) passed pawn. Also playable is 21.exd6 Nxf2 22.dxe7 Qxg2+ 23.Ke2 Qxf3+ 24.Kd2 Nxe7 25.Bxf2 Qxf2+ 26.Kc1 with a similar position, except that Black is left with the knight instead of the bishop. 21...Ncxe5 22.Nfxe5 dxe5 23.f3 Nxe3 24.Nxe3 Bc5
Yu has found the most resilient defensive manoeuvres, but now has to contend with a potential infiltration on the kingside. 25.Kd2 This is the losing mistake by the Chinese GM. Understandably, he intends to shelter his king on c1 as quickly as possible, but fails to realise that this manoeuvre fails tactically. The cold-blooded engines give 25.Qc6 as the best defence, placing the queen ready to get counterplay via a potential Qxe6+. After Bxe3 26.Kxe3 Qg5+ 27.Kd3 Qxg2 White should go for 28.Rg1 Qxf3+ 29.Kc4 and the king has escaped through an unlikely route. Black is still better, but White can look for drawing chances in the ever-complex positions with all six major pieces still on the board. (Importantly, Black has not been able to force a queen trade). 25...Qg5 Abdusattorov gets to pin the knight and enter a forced variation that leads to favourable simplifications. 26.Qe2 Rd8+ 27.Kc2 Rxd1 28.Nxd1 Qxg2
White cannot avoid trading queens now, and Black counts with the outside passer on the h-file, a big asset in any ensuing endgame. 29.Qxg2 Rxg2+ 30.Kd3 Kg7 The conversion is not trivial, and Abdusattorov had to continue working until move 62, but Black never lost his advantage in the process. 31.Rh1 Kg6 32.b4 axb4 33.cxb4 Bxb4 34.Ne3 Rd2+ 35.Kc4 Rd4+ 36.Kb5 Bd2 37.Rg1+ Kf7 38.Ng4 Bf4 39.Rh1 Kg6 40.Rg1 h5 41.Nxe5+ Kf6 42.Nc6 Rd3 43.Rh1 Rxf3 44.Rxh5 Re3 45.e5+ Kg6 46.Rh1 Bxe5 47.a5 bxa5 48.Nxa5 Bd6 49.Kc6 Kf5 50.Kd7 Rd3 51.Nc6 Bg3+ 52.Kc8 e5 53.Rh5+ Kf6 54.Nb4 Rb3 55.Nd5+ Kg6 56.Rh8 e4 57.Kd7 Kf5 58.Re8 Bd6 59.Kc6 Rd3 60.Rh8 e3 61.Re8 Be5 62.Ne7+ Ke4
0–1

Standings after round 6

Loading Table...

All games

Loading...
New ...
Open...
Share...
Layout...
Flip Board
Settings
MoveNResultEloPlayers
Replay and check the LiveBook here
  • Start an analysis engine:
  • Try maximizing the board:
  • Use the four cursor keys to replay the game. Make moves to analyse yourself.
  • Press Ctrl-B to rotate the board.
  • Drag the split bars between window panes.
  • Download&Clip PGN/GIF/FEN/QR Codes. Share the game.
  • Games viewed here will automatically be stored in your cloud clipboard (if you are logged in). Use the cloud clipboard also in ChessBase.
  • Create an account to access the games cloud.

Links


Carlos Colodro is a Hispanic Philologist from Bolivia. He works as a freelance translator and writer since 2012. A lot of his work is done in chess-related texts, as the game is one of his biggest interests, along with literature and music.

We use cookies and comparable technologies to provide certain functions, to improve the user experience and to offer interest-oriented content. Depending on their intended use, analysis cookies and marketing cookies may be used in addition to technically required cookies. Here you can make detailed settings or revoke your consent (if necessary partially) with effect for the future. Further information can be found in our data protection declaration.