Maghsoodloo and Arjun keep up the pace
Round five of the UzChess Cup delivered the most action-packed day of the tournament so far, with four out of five games ending decisively. Nodirbek Abdusattorov stands alone atop the standings with 4/5 points, having collected his third win of the event. Notably, all three of his victories have come with the white pieces, where he currently holds a perfect 3/3 score. On Monday, he beat Aravindh Chithambaram to reclaim sole ownership of the lead (find below the game with annotations).
The day's results among the frontrunners had a major impact on the standings. Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu, who had entered the round as co-leader, suffered his first loss of the tournament. Playing black against Parham Maghsoodloo, the Indian grandmaster was outplayed and dropped to 3/5. Maghsoodloo, meanwhile, climbed to shared second place with 3½ points, joining Arjun Erigaisi in pursuit of the leader. The game saw Maghsoodloo get a clear edge in the late middlegame, but Pragg was inches away from escaping with a draw in a pure knight v. bishop endgame (analysed below by GM Karsten Müller).
Arjun also secured a full point in round five, getting the better of Shamsiddin Vokhidov with the black pieces in a 68-move struggle. The win allowed Arjun to remain just half a point behind Abdusattorov, with four rounds still to play.
The remaining decisive game of the day featured a strong comeback by Javokhir Sindarov, who bounced back from his round-four loss by beating Richard Rapport with black. Sindarov finished the game with an elegant tactical sequence.
55.d8Q Qxd8 56.Rxf7+ prompted Rapport's resignation.
The point is clear - after 56...Rxf7, White gains material with 57.Qxd8+, while 56...Kg8 loses immediately to 57.Rg7+ Kh8 58.Rh8+ Kg8 59.Qg7#. With this result, Sindarov joins Praggnanandhaa on 3/5, one point behind the leader.
Round 5 results
In this course, we will learn how to identify passively placed pieces in any given situation and how to improve their health by bringing them into active squares.
Arjun Erigaisi defeated Shamsiddin Vokhidov and is now tied for second place with Parham Maghsoodloo | Photo: sports.uz
Abdusattorov 1-0 Aravindh
In this video course, experts including Dorian Rogozenco, Mihail Marin, Karsten Müller and Oliver Reeh, examine the games of Boris Spassky. Let them show you which openings Spassky chose to play, where his strength in middlegames were and much more.
Nodirbek Abdusattorov | Photo: Shahid Ahmed
Maghsoodloo 1-0 Praggnanandhaa
Endgame analysis by GM Karsten Müller
From Mating with a queen; a rook; two bishops; a knight and a bishop; to the basics of pawn endgames – here you will gain the necessary know-how to turn your endgame advantages into victories!
The playing hall during the fifth round in Tashkent | Photo: Shahid Ahmed
Standings after round 5
All games
Challengers: Theodorou and Hong still share the lead
All five games ended drawn in round five of the Challengers tournament, leaving the standings table unchanged, with Nikolas Theodorou and Andrew Hong still tied for first place. The two co-leaders played black on Monday. While Theodorou saw his opponent, Gulrukhbegim Tokhirjonova, missing a chance to get a clear advantage in the middlegame, Hong was the one failing to make the most of his better position in his game against Vitaly Sivuk.
Third-placed Mukhiddin Madaminov had a shorter day at the office, as he signed a 24-move draw with his compatriot Mukhammadzokhid Suyarov.
Round 5 results
Standings after round 5
All games
Futures: Nigmatov loses but remains in the sole lead
Two games ended decisively in round five of the Futures tournament, with Klementy Sychev grabbing his first win of the event, playing white against Saidakbar Saydaliev, while Ortik Nigmatov suffered his first defeat of the tournament. Nigmatov came from scoring three wins in a row, and lost a 35-move encounter against Abdimalik Abdisalimov, who incidentally came from suffering two losses in a row.
Despite losing, Nigmatov is still the sole leader, except that he no longer has a full-point advantage over his closest chasers. Saparmyrat Atabayev and Evgeny Alekseev stand a half point behind the leader.
Round 5 results
Standings after round 5
All games
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