GM Shamsiddin Vokhidov leads the 2026 UzChess Cup after five hard-fought rounds, where we have seen more decisive games than draws. After losing in round two against GM Hans Niemann, the Uzbek grandmaster has won three games in a row against GMs Mukhiddin Madaminov, Nikolas Theodorou, and finally Ian Nepomniachtchi. He is trailed by three players a half-point behind: GMs Arjun Erigaisi, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, and Madaminov.
This report comes at the halfway mark of the event, and we will recap the last five rounds in another update. The rounds start daily, through June 15, at 6:15 a.m. ET / 12:15 CET / 3:45 p.m. IST.
13 games have been decisive out of 20, with a notable whitewash of 5/5 White wins in round two. Vokhidov and Madaminov won their games in the latest round.
Round 5 Results
Vokhidov, after starting with a draw against Arjun in round one and a loss to Niemann in round two, has spread his wings and taken off. But there are still plenty of games left to play.
Round 5 Standings
The UzChess Cup has returned to Tashkent for its third edition and features a riveting lineup of Uzbek grandmasters as well as strong foreign opposition. The tournament is a 10-player round-robin with a time control of 90 minutes for 40 moves followed by 30 minutes, plus a 30-second increment starting on move one. The first prize is $20,000. Alongside the Masters are the Challengers, Futures, and Open. Like in Wijk aan Zee, players at the top of each section advance to the higher one each year.
Seven of the players are Masters returnees who have played in either one or both of the previous Masters editions. American GM Niemann is the only player who is playing in the UzChess Cup for the first time. Greek GM Theodorou promoted himself to the Masters by winning the 2025 Challengers, as did Uzbek GM Madaminov who finished second. (Madaminov also seconded GM Javokhir Sindarov during his historic performance in the 2026 FIDE Candidates Tournament.)
The technical meeting featured more spice than one would normally expect. As Nepomniachtchi entered the room, he shook hands with every other player, except a handshake with Niemann did not happen. The two grandmasters had just finished a match in Belgrade, Serbia, that ended in a tied 4-4 score. After disagreements about the prize distribution, they weren’t in the mood to greet each other.
The tournament hasn’t started yet, but the intrigue already has 👀 pic.twitter.com/UfpxJOGOUd
— UzchessCup (@UzchessCup) June 7, 2026
Besides the question of prize money, which Niemann addressed on X, Nepomniachtchi told ChessBase India after the game that he felt disrespected in their final game.
I mean like even at the board, I don’t think it was respectful neither to chess nor for me, despite he played a very good game against me in the last game. But, I mean overall, his behavior I found it sort of—I mean, he’s not a teenager anymore… and then the communication after the match with him, basically he just stopped answering like any messages and so on.
His behavior I found it sort of—I mean, he’s not a teenager anymore.
—Ian Nepomniachtchi on Hans Niemann
Will they shake hands before and after their encounter in round eight? We’ll see on Sunday. Anyway, there’s plenty of drama on the chessboard for us to get to.
Mamadinov, the only player in the field rated below 2600, was the last player to have a perfect score. He won his first two games, against Nepomniachtchi and then Theodorou, before Vokhidov put an end to his Cinderella run and started his own.
Madaminov’s highest-rated win came in the first round, and it was a shockingly short game that ended on move 33. His preparation worked out, he said, and he reflected, “His main mistake in the game was that he started playing very fast,” especially as Madaminov had just over 20 minutes against over 50.
We saw the strange imbalance of rook and three pawns against two bishops, but when Nepomniachtchi dropped his a-pawn, the black position collapsed.
The other underdog story of round one was Theodorou’s win over Niemann. After playing the aggressive Shirov-Shabalov Gambit (7.g4!?), Theodorou grabbed a (sacrificed) pawn and found a beautiful sequence of moves to overtake the American in a tactical skirmish.
He called the opening “probably the sharpest way White can play” against the Semi-Slav, and also revealed he had been saving the line for a while.
Madaminov went on to outplay Theodorou in the following endgame in round two, which would normally be a trivial draw, except that the black king was cut on the f-line, far away from the action on the queenside.
After two losses, against his Olympiad teammates Vokhidov and GM Nodirbek Yakubboev, Madaminov struck back with a win in round five against GM Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, who with 14 minutes still on his clock, blundered into a queen trap.Â
Round two was an absolute bloodbath that left, at the time, Madaminov in the lead with Abdusattorov and Arjun just behind.
Round 2 Results
Niemann’s win in the queen endgame against Vokhidov was perhaps the most impressive, though it took 109 moves in a complicated queen endgame—”a nightmare that would never end!” in Niemann’s words.
In that round, Nepomniachtchi also bounced back from his loss in round one with a win over GM Vidit Gujrathi. It was an unusual endgame, as a rook and bishop often draw against a queen (with no pawns for either side), but Vidit—under severe time trouble—just couldn’t find a way to coordinate his pieces.
Nepomniachtchi went on to draw two games before losing in round five against Vokhidov. He’s on 2/5, along with Theodorou and Mamedyarov, both of whom started with a win in round one. It’s even worse for Vidit, who’s in last place on 1.5/5—two losses followed by three draws.
Now let’s focus on the leader. After suffering his only loss in round two, in a queen endgame, Vokhidov won a queen endgame against the leader at the time, Madaminov (the only decisive game of round three).
His win against Theodorou, in round four, was a spectacular battle that ended suddenly when he got the chance to activate his bishop with 44…Bh5!, a move Theodorou must have missed.
His (third) win against two-time world championship challenger Nepomniachtchi in round five was no less impressive, though the end of the game wasn’t as flashy. Vokhidov told Chess.com that he knew he was better once he got the chance to play the pawn sacrifice 17.f5!, and he later transitioned into a pawn-up endgame. Through a translator, he said, “Ian Nepomniachtchi was not playing that well. After a4 and …Bf8 b5, the position is winning.” Indeed, 34…e4! seems to have been Black’s best, and last, chance to save the game.
Vokhidov told Chess.com, “Winning against grandmasters is super great, and this gives strong emotions and feelings for the next rounds.”
Super-GMs Arjun and Abdusattorov, who made a draw in their round-five direct encounter, are still on his heels. Both of them have made four draws and scored one win—Abdusattorov beat Mamedyarov, and Arjun beat Yakubboev, both in round two. Abdusattorov saved a critical game against Nepomniachtchi in round four—and a clip of his trolling, as he achieved the draw, has already made the rounds on the internet.
We Got Pro Chess Players RageBaiting in 2026 🤯 🎷 pic.twitter.com/GicdYMGGFw
— JustMoveChess (@justmovechess) June 10, 2026
Vokhidov has White against Yakubboev in the next round, and the only one of his trailers to have the white pieces will be Madaminov.
Round 6 Pairings
In the Challengers, GM Mahammad Muradli has shot into the lead by a full point with four wins and just one draw.
Challengers Standings After Round 5
How to rewatch?
The 2026 UzChess Cup takes place from June 7 to 15 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. The most talented Uzbek players face the world’s elite on home soil at one of Uzbekistan’s strongest events. The Masters tournament is a 10-player round-robin with a classical time control of 90 minutes for 40 moves, with 30 more minutes added after, plus a 30-second increment starting on move one. The total prize fund is $121,500 for all sections: the Masters, Challengers, Futures, and Open.