Five out of five for White
After three decisive games in the opening round, the UzChess Cup continued with a fully decisive second round on Monday in Tashkent. All five games finished with a winner, and once again every decisive result went to the player with the white pieces. After two rounds, in fact, all eight decisive games in the tournament have been won by White.
Mukhiddin Madaminov, the lowest-rated player in the field, is the sole leader on 2 out of 2. The 19-year-old Uzbek player followed his first-round upset victory over Ian Nepomniachtchi with a win over Nikolas Theodorou, who had also begun the event by beating a higher-rated opponent, Hans Niemann. Madaminov is the only participant with a perfect score.
The top two seeds, Nodirbek Abdusattorov and Arjun Erigaisi, are a half point behind the leader. Both had drawn their games in round one before collecting their first wins on Monday. Abdusattorov defeated Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, while Erigaisi beat Nodirbek Yakubboev to move to 1½/2 in shared second place.
Nepomniachtchi and Niemann also recovered from their opening-round losses. Nepo defeated Vidit Gujrathi in a sharp and uneven encounter, while Niemann got the better of Shamsiddin Vokhidov after converting a tricky queen endgame with two extra pawns.
The technical phase of Niemann’s win featured one of the most notable missed chances of the round. In the queen endgame, Vokhidov could have forced an immediate draw with 84…Qf7+!
After mastering positional play in Volume 1 and learning how to convert small advantages in Volume 2 of the Master Your Technique series, GM Mikhalchishin now presents Essential Techniques, covering topics from playing on the flank versus the center to maintaining tactical vigilance. In this volume, we dive into core aspects of chess technique. Smyslov taught the principle of tactical hierarchy, “checks, double attacks, and unprotected pieces”, and Mikhalchishin demonstrates how this method of calculation is vital. He shows how top players apply it, but also how even grandmasters sometimes miss critical resources, highlighting the necessity of developing a strong “tactical sense.” This approach encompasses tactical vigilance and scanning for sacrifices, but is also highly relevant to the second part of the course, which focuses on more strategic elements such as the use of heavy pieces and endgame technique.
Free Video Sample: Simple Tactics
Free Video Sample: Mating Net: Ne7+ Qxh7 Rh5+
Niemann would have been obliged to capture the queen, allowing stalemate. After missing that resource, Vokhidov was unable to hold the position.
Nepomniachtchi 1-0 Vidit
Bent Larsen (1935–2010) was the greatest chess player in Danish history, and for a time, the second-strongest player in the Western world behind Bobby Fischer. Between 1954 and 1971, he won the Danish Championship six times, and achieved numerous international tournament victories throughout his career.
Free video sample: Introduction to Bent Larsen by Peter Heine Nielsen
Free video sample: Introduction to the Opening Section
Ian Nepomniachtchi facing Vidit Gujrathi, who stands in last place after losing his first two games in Tashkent | Photo: Official website