Next week: USA v. Uzbekistan rapid and blitz match in Miami Beach

by Press release
7/21/2026 – WR Chess will stage a USA v. Uzbekistan team event at Faena Miami Beach on 27–28 July, bringing together ten leading grandmasters in a rapid and blitz Scheveningen format. Hikaru Nakamura, Fabiano Caruana, Wesley So and Levon Aronian will represent Team USA, while Uzbekistan's line-up includes World Championship challenger Javokhir Sindarov, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Nodirbek Yakubboev and Shamsiddin Vokhidov. The event marks WR Chess' US debut. | Image: WR Chess
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Press release by WR Chess

Few competitions blend intellect, strategy and national pride quite like chess. This July, Miami becomes the stage as WR Chess welcomes Team USA and Team Uzbekistan, two of the world's strongest chess nations, for an elite international team competition at Faena Miami Beach.

On July 27–28, ten of the world's leading grandmasters will compete in the U.S. debut of WR Chess's head-to-head national team rapid and blitz format. Using the classic Scheveningen format, every player on Team USA will face every player on Team Uzbekistan, creating a continuous series of world-class matchups rarely seen outside international team championships.

Among the many anticipated pairings is a renewed meeting between Hikaru Nakamura, America's most recognised grandmaster and the face of chess' mainstream moment, and Javokhir Sindarov, the 20-year-old Uzbek prodigy who beat Nakamura at the 2026 Candidates Tournament in Cyprus this spring to emerge as the official World Championship challenger. Miami sets the stage for the next chapter in their rivalry.

  • Team USA: Hikaru Nakamura, Fabiano Caruana, Wesley So and Levon Aronian, with Leinier Dominguez as reserve.
  • Team Uzbekistan features Javokhir Sindarov, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Nodirbek Yakubboev and Shamsiddin Vokhidov, with Mukhiddin Madaminov as reserve, a roster that includes some of the fastest-rising names in the game.
Team USA

Team Uzbekistan

Hikaru Nakamura

Javokhir Sindarov

Fabiano Caruana

Nodirbek Abdusattorov

Wesley So

Nodirbek Yakubboev

Levon Aronian

Shamsiddin Vokhidov

Leinier Dominguez

Mukhiddin Madaminov

Building on the classic Scheveningen team format, WR Chess founder Wadim Rosenstein has reimagined the event as a premium spectator experience. Players face one another multiple times across two days of rapid and blitz competition, designed to maximise both elite play and live-streaming engagement, a more dynamic alternative to traditional tournament formats. Rosenstein explained:

Chess has become one of the most exciting cultural movements in the world today.

Our goal is to create experiences that celebrate the highest level of competition while making the game more engaging, accessible and visible to new audiences. Miami and Faena provide the perfect backdrop for bringing together strategy, culture, hospitality and competition in a way that reflects where chess is headed.

The event comes amid a period of significant momentum for WR Chess. On June 26, Rosenstein announced his candidacy for the presidency of the International Chess Federation (FIDE), with the election set for the end of September. The announcement comes as WR Chess continues to expand its international profile through new competition formats and global events, including its American debut in Miami.

Proven champions against the rising force

Team USA arrives in Miami as one of the most decorated nations in the history of team chess - six Olympiad gold medals, a roster packed with world championship challengers and a collective experience that is almost unmatched in the game today. Their average age of 37.6 years tells its own story. Facing them is a team that represents something else entirely: Uzbekistan, Olympiad champions in 2022 and the most exciting emerging power in world chess, with an average age of just 21.

The tournament begins on July 27 at Faena Miami Beach, bringing together players, media and members of the global chess community. The choice of Faena Miami Beach is deliberate. As chess experiences a cultural resurgence fuelled by streaming, artificial intelligence and a new generation of fans, the game is increasingly intersecting with broader conversations around culture, entertainment and luxury. Faena, long recognised as a destination where art, culture and hospitality converge, provides a fitting backdrop for that evolution.

With this event, WR Chess continues to expand the reach of competitive chess through innovative formats and top-level competitions. Miami is where the American chapter begins.

For more information, visit wr-chess.com.

Format and rules

System

Scheveningen team competition – Team USA against Team Uzbekistan, with four players per team on four boards.

Rounds

Phase 1: rapid chess, 4 rounds
Phase 2: blitz chess, 8 rounds – each round with four games counts as one match

Time control

Rapid chess: 15 minutes + 10-second increment from move one (G/15+10)
Blitz: 3 minutes + 2-second increment from move one (G/3+2)

Tiebreak

Board points; if the score is still tied, a single Armageddon game (White 4′+2″, Black determined by time bidding – a draw counts as a win for Black)

Overall standings

Team standings by match points – win 2, draw 1, loss 0.

Leinier Dominguez (USA) and Mukhammadali Madaminov (Uzbekistan) are reserve players.

Download the full regulations (PDF)

Anti-cheating

During a game, players may not carry any electronic devices – if a device is found during a game, the game is considered lost.

The FIDE Laws of Chess apply, including all anti-cheating provisions.

Officials

The default time is 0 minutes - players must be seated at their boards at the start of each round. First illegal move: one additional minute for the opponent. Second illegal move by the same player:the loss of the game. The decisions of the chief arbiter are final.

Schedule:

All times are local time (= 6 hours ahead of CEST)

26 July
Before the event: opening, banquet and drawing of lots (Team A/B and playing order)

27 July
Day 1 – rapid chess

11:00 Players' meeting
13:00 Rapid chess round 1
14:00 Rapid chess round 2
15:00 Rapid chess round 3
16:00 Rapid chess round 4

28 July
Day 2 – blitz chess

13:00 Blitz round 1
13:30 Blitz round 2
14:00 Blitz round 3
14:30 Blitz round 4
15:00 Blitz round 5
15:30 Blitz round 6
16:00 Blitz round 7
16:30 Blitz round 8

About WR Chess

WR Chess is an international chess organization founded by Wadim Rosenstein, built around the belief that chess is a vehicle for education, community and personal growth - not only elite competition.

Through international tournaments, youth training programs and partnerships with the world's leading grandmasters, coaches and chess federations, WR Chess works to expand access to the game and create opportunities for players at every level.

WR Chess has been an active force in growing the global chess ecosystem, including involvement in the development of team-based competition formats that bring together elite grandmasters and club-level players within a shared event structure.

Media Contact: wrchess@ciaostudio.co

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