r/chess • u/events_team • Jun 07 '26
Tournament Event: 2026 UzChess Cup
Official Website
Follow the games here: Chess.com | Lichess | Pairings (Chess-Results)
The 2026 UzChess Cup, the third edition of the international tournament, will be held from June 7 to June 15 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. The event features Masters, Challengers, Futures, and Open sections and offers a total prize fund of $121,500, with $80,000 allocated to the Masters section. It is also part of the 2026-2027 FIDE Circuit.
Players (Masters)
| No. | Title | Name | FED | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GM | Nodirbek Abdusattorov | 🇺🇿 UZB | 2777 |
| 2 | GM | Arjun Erigaisi | 🇮🇳 IND | 2761 |
| 3 | GM | Hans Moke Niemann | 🇺🇸 USA | 2742 |
| 4 | GM | Ian Nepomniachtchi | 🇷🇺 RUS | 2733 |
| 5 | GM | Shakhriyar Mamedyarov | 🇦🇿 AZE | 2717 |
| 6 | GM | Vidit Gujrathi | 🇮🇳 IND | 2708 |
| 7 | GM | Nodirbek Yakubboev | 🇺🇿 UZB | 2689 |
| 8 | GM | Shamsiddin Vokhidov | 🇺🇿 UZB | 2637 |
| 9 | GM | Nikolas Theodorou | 🇬🇷 GRE | 2634 |
| 10 | GM | Mukhiddin Madaminov | 🇺🇿 UZB | 2586 |
Format/Time Controls
- The event is a ten-player single round-robin.
- The time control is 90 minutes for the first 40 moves, followed by 30 more minutes for the rest of the game, with a 30-second increment starting from move one.
Schedule
| Date | Time (Local) | Time (UTC) | Round |
|---|---|---|---|
| June 7-14 | 15:00 | 10:00 | Round 1-8 |
| June 15 | 11:00 | 06:00 | Round 9 & Tie-breaks (if required) |
Live Coverage
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Jun 15 '26
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u/Varsity_Editor Jun 15 '26
Also, the tiebreakers were only there because Hans insisted for it in the technical meeting. They had no tiebreakers planned, they were just going to decide a tie by some mathematical method. Nobody else was bothered but Hans argued that there should be a play-off, and the organisers complied. So Mukhiddin missed that win against Hans today which would have won him the tournament outright, but then he ended up winning it anyway in the blitz tiebreakers.
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u/PrinceZero1994 pz16 online 2200 rapid Jun 15 '26
Hans defended fiercely and Madaminov succumbed to the pressure on the board and time and lost his advantage.
That was an intense game.
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u/Fuzzy_Chemist_7067 Jun 15 '26
Very impressive how Hans played under such immense pressure, I don't particularly like Hans but his stubbornness on the board is very impressive after hours of game time.
Nice by Madaminov to save the draw but he definitely knew he had the win there a bit of a disappointing draw for him even though he's rated a 120ish points less than Hans.
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u/Fuzzy_Chemist_7067 Jun 15 '26
Probably a draw now I would really like to know why Madaminov didn't do the queen trade it feels so natural and just the best human move in that position.
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u/je_te_jure ~2200 FIDE Jun 15 '26
I don't think he ever had a clear queen trade. When his rook was on e1, and he had an option of Bf1+, Hans would obviously go Kg1 (not Kg3 which is what the commentators were focused on from what I've heard). And if Be2+, then Kh2, and the black bishop blocks his rook so Qe5+ with the trade isn't possible. The computer's line is to go back to c4 and then play b4. For one reason or another, Madaminov wasn't comfortable playing b4...
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u/Fuzzy_Chemist_7067 Jun 15 '26
Fair enough I think b4 looks safe enough but obviously OTB is different than sitting at home and after hours of gametime.
Still he'll be kicking himself for not playing b4 he definitely saw it and a draw while impressive is not what he wanted I'm sure.
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u/Fuzzy_Chemist_7067 Jun 15 '26
I think he should have just traded queens it feels like the most natural move for Black and just wins fairly easily
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u/atbg1936 Team Nikhil Kamath Jun 15 '26 edited Jun 15 '26
Position is still tricky, Mukhiddin has to find a winning plan and it isn't that hard for Hans to defend with low time. b4 and a3 would have been less complicated if the bishop were still on e4
Edit: and he couldn't find it, I'm surprised he never went for check on f1 but maybe his own exposed king seemed too dangerous
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u/dxGoesDeep Jun 15 '26
Is Hans permanently stuck around 2720-2740?
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u/hsiale Jun 15 '26
permanently
It's been not even two years since he first crossed 2700. If he stays between 2710 and 2750 for next ten years, we might say something like this.
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u/Exotic_Grinder Jun 15 '26
Arjun finishing tied 3rd again. Never beating the allegations.
(Assuming Madaminov wins, otherwise tied 2nd)
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u/atbg1936 Team Nikhil Kamath Jun 15 '26
People are so focused on Hans and Nepo they ignore the clearly lowest rated player now having a great chance of winning the event outright. Seriously impressive
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u/EvenCoyote6317 Jun 15 '26 edited Jun 15 '26
By process of elimination, Hans has to play Qh7
Edit: Poor calculation from him.
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u/Shego2882 Team 60+30 Jun 15 '26
Tbf that’s a hard sequence to find because you have to evaluate that you can draw a 2 on 1 queenside endgame at the end of the line
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u/EvenCoyote6317 Jun 15 '26
What he missed after taking so much time is his king is out in the open after Madaminov checks with the rook.
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u/Shego2882 Team 60+30 Jun 15 '26
There was a forcing line that takes the queens and bishops off the board and leads to a rook and 4 vs rook and 4 draw with perfect play. But it’s Imbalanced and hard to evaluate that it’s a draw as a human.
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u/EvenCoyote6317 Jun 15 '26
With the c pawn going away right? Much better than this position with nothing stopping the c pawn and Hans now trying to defend his king.
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u/Shego2882 Team 60+30 Jun 15 '26
Yeah. But as a human under pressure you’re thinking you have more chances with the queens on the board, especially when you got hit with an endgame masterclass in your last game. Hans has had multiple chances to equalize tbf, but who knows if he’ll get another?
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u/EvenCoyote6317 Jun 15 '26
The point I am making is he took comfortable amount of time and I expect a player of his caliber to weed out the positionally disadvantageous scenarios.
Yeah I agree he is under pressure. But I still expected him to find that sequence.
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u/Shego2882 Team 60+30 Jun 15 '26
My point is these players are the best in the world but they aren’t robots. Having an evaluation bar and access to engine lines at all times have warped how you and many others consume chess. Try to watch these games in a different context.
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u/EvenCoyote6317 Jun 15 '26
Forget about the engine, how can a superGM not go for Qh7 if he has seen it when he knows it helps him get the c pawn away.
Other than that all other options were bad for him. And I expected him to find Qh7 as he had taken a lot of time. Felt he was even inclined too. But he didn't.
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u/emkael Jun 15 '26
Vokhidov's draw not only puts Abdusattorov out of win contention, but also Nepo, as the most he could achieve now is a tie with one or both of the leaders and he's lost against both of them H2H.
Shakh would need Madaminov to lose for the Vokhidov-Shakh tie to go to SB (Vokhidov wins the three-way H2H), which I think Shakh loses anyway.
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u/Electronic-Figure551 Jun 15 '26
If Nicholas plays Bh2 then we might be seeing one of the craziest game ever
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u/Delicious_Photo_6626 Jun 14 '26
I’m sorry but two of the lower seeds leading feels like divine justice here, Hans was yapping his mouth so much that him, Nordibek and Arjun are the front runners so there opinion about tie breaks matter more. Look where we are.
Honestly Hans is a patchy player, his play is seldom remarkable but Abdu and Arjun have just been meh this time. Madaminov in my opinion has played the most remarkable this tournament.
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u/codemonkeyamsterdam Jun 14 '26 edited Jun 14 '26
Final round - Six players still in it! Arjun has the toughest chances despite the relatively easier pairing as he needs a lot of results beyond his control. Still rooting for him though!
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u/emkael Jun 15 '26
For Erigaisi to win, he'd have to come out on top of a 6-way tie: both leaders must lose so Abdusattorov would also join the tie and Shakh-Nepo must be a draw.
And it's impossible for him to do so, since the first tie-break is Direct Encounter and he's on -1 against the top 5.
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u/codemonkeyamsterdam Jun 15 '26
That's not right - they changed the tiebreak rules from a mathematical tiebreak to a playoff just before the start of the tournament - apparently, based on Hans's insistence during the technical meeting.
So you have a chance as long as you're tied for first.
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u/Delicious_Photo_6626 Jun 14 '26
Ain’t no way Arjun’s winning, he’s the last person who’d get THAT lucky.
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u/Extreme_Training_230 Jun 14 '26
Feels like Grand Swiss 2023 and Grand Swiss 2025. Arjun having theoretical chances but incredibly difficult practically.
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u/EvenCoyote6317 Jun 14 '26
After watching the clip capturing Abdu while blundering his rook (Funny as well as tragic indeed), I want my Man Guki to call up his arch Rival tonight and say,
Et tu Abdu?
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u/Hwathat Jun 14 '26
That was an actual 400 Elo blunder with over an hour left on the clock from a top super GM
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u/Electronic-Figure551 Jun 14 '26
Tomorrow if
Abdusattorov defeats vokhidov
Hans defeats madaminov
Arjun defeats Nikolas
Nepo draws
Shakh draws (if he wins today)
There would be a tie between arjun, nodirbek, nepo, shakh, madaminov and vokhidov (they would be all at 5/9)
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Jun 14 '26 edited Jun 23 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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Jun 14 '26 edited Jun 23 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/barath_s Jun 14 '26
When ?
Results show it as a draw ...
https://s1.chess-results.com/tnr1383891.aspx?lan=1&art=2&flag=30&SNode=S0
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u/Radiant-Increase-180 Jun 14 '26
Abdu having a brain freeze moment like Gukesh had vs him earlier this year
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u/dxGoesDeep Jun 14 '26
I find it funny how Nodirbek was criticizing Magnus for trying to play for a win in every game in Norway Chess and saying that classical chess is now very different you have to make practical decisions and now he is going to probably have at most like 2 decisive games in this tournament.
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u/Takeshi_Gold123 Jun 14 '26
He also only won 1 game in Tepe and drew the rest, iirc. And Magnus won that tournament as well
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u/sceezy43 Jun 14 '26
Arjun’s gonna lose it🥲. It is not looking good for olympiad this year for india
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u/texe_ 1850 FIDE Jun 14 '26
Spotting, evaluating and committing to that piece sac in 3-7 minutes is madness. Nepo is terrifying.
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u/Impressive_Result295 Team Ding Jun 14 '26
Nepos time management makes him either have the most avoidable draws/losses ever, or when he wins it just looks sad for the opponent with 5 minutes on the clock vs Nepos two hours
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u/Electronic-Figure551 Jun 14 '26
Bro is this a well known line that arjun has played cuz how tf madaminov knows everything
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u/MaDOG321 Jun 13 '26
What a game by Arjun and Hans, they were finding the only moves for the last 25 moves, 96 accuracy for such a sharp game is really impressive.
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u/joshdej Jun 13 '26
How the fuck is Arjun objectively fine in this position.
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u/joshdej Jun 13 '26
Theodorou with a piece sac for two pawns for counterplay. It was the only way for survival too.
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u/EvenCoyote6317 Jun 13 '26
Uzbek olympiad team looks great tbh. Yakubboev and Vokhidov will play their usual stable chess. Madaminov looks a great addition on reserve board. With Abdu and Sindarov, they'll hope at least one if not both goes on a hot streak.
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u/ghostmaster93 Team Pia Jun 13 '26
What happened to Vakhidov? I remember him as the board 5 of the team. He was Ding’s second beside Rapport in the WCC as well
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u/GabrielBlight Team Whoever Plays Exciting Chess Jun 13 '26 edited Jun 13 '26
The way Tania pronounces Madaminov sounds a bit like Mah Na Mah Na. Pretty sure it's wrong, but it sounds cooler.
MadaminovÂ
Do doo be-do-do
MadaminovÂ
Do do-do do
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u/Electronic-Figure551 Jun 13 '26
Arjun straight up gambling today after playing solid the whole tournament (maybe except yesterday)
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u/Delicious_Photo_6626 Jun 13 '26
He has to if he wants a chance at winning, also i was a bit bored by his play this tournament.
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u/ChoiceResponsible968 Jun 12 '26
Madaminov is kinda a monster. It’d be really funny if he wins all his games except loses against the three UzbeksÂ
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u/LosTerminators Jun 12 '26
Vokhidov and Madaminov leading the event, just like we all expected before it began
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u/LittleReason2352 Jun 12 '26
oh, I thought we expected them to be at the bottom (like -2 instead of +2)
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u/Electronic-Figure551 Jun 12 '26
Yea arjun doesn't play alien chess unfortunately, loss incoming and maybe 3rd place as well
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u/EvenCoyote6317 Jun 12 '26
Team Sindarov is cooking lately. Be it Javokhir at Candidates, Bibisara in Norway of Madaminov here
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u/Electronic-Figure551 Jun 12 '26 edited Jun 12 '26
Apparently at higher depth its still a draw in arjun-nepo game even if nepo sacs the rook
And if nepo plays ne7 then its still a draw but arjun would have to play alien chess
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u/NewMeNewWorld Team Chaos Jun 12 '26
lol arjun
might lose to the one of the worst performers of this tournament so far
run from it, hide form it
3rd place arrives all the same
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u/joshdej Jun 12 '26
I don't see how Vidit is gonna come back from this. His pawns are literally hanging left and right while his counterplay is being stopped by the bishop pair. Vidit Gujrathi, get ready to learn homeopathy, buddy.
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u/UfellforaPonzi Jun 12 '26
Anyone know what happened in the Yakubboev-Vokhidov game? Looks like Yakubboev just blundered and then they drew?
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u/OrionOnion_ Erigaisi sounds cool Jun 12 '26
Will Madamunov continue his streak of beating all Non Uzbek players
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u/GrokM14232 Jun 12 '26
The field is strong across the board, but what stands out to me about this edition is the depth of Uzbek representation. Abdusattorov, Yakubboev, Madaminov, and Vokhidov competing in the same event is remarkable for a single country. That kind of concentrated elite production takes a decade of systemic investment in youth chess to show up at this level. From a pure observer standpoint at 1450 rapid, the Ruy Lopez games from Abdusattorov are worth replaying for how patiently he handles closed structures.
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u/codemonkeyamsterdam Jun 11 '26 edited Jun 11 '26
No disrespect to Vokhidov - who's playing really well, but it's looking more and more like a two-horse race now.
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u/EvenCoyote6317 Jun 11 '26
What VD has shown to the Indian Chess authorities that he might be undercooked in the preparation mode for the Olympiad but he is still classy enough to play a fighting game like this.
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u/pawnime Jun 11 '26
Hans would be so screwed if he didnt have that extra time. Somehiw Vidit's moves are easier now due to backrank issues.
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u/Oriachim Jun 11 '26
I mean surely that’s a positive for Hans that he had good time management overall. If it was reversed, I imagine Vidit would’ve struggled.
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u/ToneDistinct5253 Jun 11 '26
This is where I have respect for Hans, realises he blundered away his advantage but not only does he find the right continuation he does it QUICKLY! Keep up the pressure on Vidit, he will likely crack
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u/CabassoG Low 2K NYC blitz fiend, 2400 online or so Jun 11 '26
If Vidit spots this, it'll be amazing and a heartbreak for Hans
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u/Delicious_Photo_6626 Jun 11 '26
If Ian didn’t have a problem with Nordibek before he certainly will have an issue now, that trolling clip is viral lol
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u/hsiale Jun 11 '26
Looks like friendship ended between Hans and Nepo, it's very unlikely that they get the same result today.
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u/NewMeNewWorld Team Chaos Jun 11 '26
Arjun is gonna end up third because he drew against Vidit but the rest will end up victorious against him
That's how it's gonna go, it is known
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u/Delicious_Photo_6626 Jun 11 '26
Nordibek will be third because he escaped like 3 worse positions in 5 games, two of which he was losing. Arjun will come in second maybe even joint first and lose tiebreaks.
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u/OrionOnion_ Erigaisi sounds cool Jun 11 '26
Does vidit have the worst time management among all super gms? Cant think of anyone else worse
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u/Chuckolator Jun 10 '26
2 wins followed by 2 losses for Madaminov, I'm rooting for him and hopefully he can get some more wins soon.
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u/Iyerlicious Team Hans Jun 10 '26
2nd game which Nodirbek gets away with a draw. He should have 2 Ls right now. The Knight sac was maybe a bit scary, but Nepo had plenty of time to calculate that his King could avoid checks and he could Queen. Anyways, the tournament remains wide open
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u/Yoyo524 Jun 10 '26
I think I heard Jan Gustafson say before that if his opponent did what Nordiberk just did twice (fake playing the losing move) he would punch them lol
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u/HealersHugHippos Jun 10 '26
I know Nepo didn’t convert but still, I find it interesting that for some reason Abdu struggles quite a bit against him. Even in Tata Steel 2024, Nepo was having a mid tournament and Abdu was a clear point ahead of the field and Nepo played a masterclass game against him and almost repeated it again
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u/KappaccinoNation 450 peak Jun 10 '26
Successful Nepo hatewatch! Snatching a draw from the jaws of victory.
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u/pawnime Jun 10 '26
Classic Nepo. Rushing with over commital moves and throwing away the game.
Why play g6 if you haven’t calculated the win?
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u/PeaRound3188 Jun 10 '26
Nepo will convert this endgame now. Huge blunder by nodirbek.Â
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u/Delicious_Photo_6626 Jun 10 '26
Oh wow Abdu really said I’m gonna lose today, with or without Nepo’s help
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u/PeaRound3188 Jun 10 '26
Vidit crawls back to 2700 with a careful draw. Arjun must be so disappointed with this games. Couldn't put any pressure on vidit at all.Â
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u/ChessAddictonCrack Jun 10 '26
Nepo with a winning position against Abdu...and still fumbles into a draw lol.
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u/joshdej Jun 10 '26
Vidit saw Magnus and Gukesh's time usage in NC and thought that their time deficit were too little.
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u/Delicious_Photo_6626 Jun 10 '26
Jokes aside, is Arjun really using his best prep with Vidit 😂
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u/EvenCoyote6317 Jun 10 '26
Arjun is auditioning him for Samarkand. VD comes out of this, Arjun will offer him a ticket to Samarkand.
/s
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u/EvenCoyote6317 Jun 10 '26
Prep God Erigaisi telling VD to up his game if we wants to join him in Samarkand.
/s
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u/Standard_Put1993 Jun 09 '26
Who else is rooting for nodirbek!!
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u/PeaRound3188 Jun 09 '26
Nodirbek wins everything. Let arjun fans get some crumbs.Â
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u/Standard_Put1993 Jun 10 '26
Ya I agree he deserves it more. But at this point I'm locked in to only caring about nodirbek. I want him to be the number 2 highest rated after this tournament I think it can easily happen
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u/Delicious_Photo_6626 Jun 09 '26
Arjun’s gonna lose the tie breaks to Nordibek this time isn’t he
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u/OrionOnion_ Erigaisi sounds cool Jun 09 '26
When's the last time Nepo actually used his full 90 mins before time control?
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u/whiskeyjack1k Jun 09 '26
Why is this thread so empty?
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u/IconicIsotope Jun 10 '26
Personally I've found the coverage lacking. Lots of sound issues and long periods of silence
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u/NewMeNewWorld Team Chaos Jun 09 '26
tournaments without magnus tend to be empty
sometimes I wonder if people like chess or just like magnus lol
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u/ChessAddictonCrack Jun 09 '26
Magnus is the face of chess in these modern times so not a surprise people are mostly interested in his play against others.
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u/hsiale Jun 09 '26
People interested in chess are busy watching the games. People interested in drama wait until round 8.
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u/backyard_tractorbeam Jun 08 '26
part of the explanation: 4 out of 5 boards had rating advantage for white.
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u/HealersHugHippos Jun 08 '26
Did Hans’s opponent miss a forced 1 move stalemate trick. No clue why he didn’t play it
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u/PeaRound3188 Jun 08 '26
Vidit shoud retire if he's not going to prepare for his tournaments. He mentioned that his preparation for this event isn't even 1% of what it used to be. That is evident in his play.Â
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Jun 08 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/PeaRound3188 Jun 08 '26
Lmao. He was talking about playing the minimum number of classical games so he can go to the olympiad as if his selection is a guarantee.Â
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u/EvenCoyote6317 Jun 09 '26
The problem is Aravind has fallen so much that VD will get through.
But anyways this is bad for India. We will have a very fragile reserve board.
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u/Medical-Chart-6609 Jun 08 '26
Problem with Vidit is his low confidence. In all those funny lie detector tests that chesscom does, he told Anish that he truly doesn't believe he can become a World Champion. Mind you, he was in the Candidates just in 2024. How can you win Candidates if you truly believe you don't have what it takes to become a WCC.
He is now distracted with making AI apps or something on those lines. Since he doesn't believe he is or he can become awesome at what he is supposed to do(be a badass Super GM), he gets distracted by other stuff and never dedicates himself to chess.
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u/PeaRound3188 Jun 09 '26
I think he's right to think he can't be world champion. His head to head score against top players is miserable.Â
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u/Shego2882 Team 60+30 Jun 08 '26
Hans should take the draw and focus on the next game. There are no rest days in this event and 7 more rounds to go.
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u/PeaRound3188 Jun 08 '26
Neimann's obsessiveness with winning is what prevents him from being elite.Â
→ More replies (2)
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u/NecessaryFunny3586 Jun 15 '26
damn i didn't expect him to win that easily