Abdusattorov Triumphs At Wijk Aan Zee As Uzbek Pair Sweep ‘chess Wimbledon’

Nodirbek Abdusattorov added to his increasing estimation arsenic 1 of nan world’s apical players past play erstwhile nan Uzbek grandmaster, 21, triumphed successful nan “chess Wimbledon” astatine Tata Steel Wijk aan Zee, pinch his compatriot Javokhir Sindarov a adjacent second.

On his erstwhile 3 attempts Abdusattorov, who has now surged to No 5 successful nan unrecorded ratings, had missed retired successful nan last decisive rounds. This clip he led early, had a wobble pinch 3 draws and a loss, but was beardown successful nan last 2 rounds. “It was a agelong measurement for me,” he said. “I was very adjacent each clip and I grounded twelvemonth aft year. I’m highly happy to yet beryllium capable to triumph this tourney and to triumph successful a very bully style.”

In 2023 he had led pinch a information to go, but mislaid successful nan last information to Jorden van Foreest. He was beaten successful a four-way playoff won by Wei Yi successful 2024; and was knocked retired of contention by Arjun Erigaisi successful nan penultimate information successful 2025.

How much, if anything, he won remains a secret, for Wijk aan Zee prefers to administer its costs via generous quality fees alternatively than rate prizes. Many master players for illustration that.

In Abdusattorov’s penultimate information victory, he systematically demolished Matthias Blübaum’s rickety king defences, while successful the last round he reacted solidly erstwhile Erigaisi opened pinch nan lively Evans Gambit 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bc4 Bc5 4 b4?!, gradually took nan initiative, and won a 55-move ending.

4010: Alexander Tolush v Anatoly Bannik, USSR championship, Riga 1958. Tolush, who was nicknamed “the grandmaster of attack”, grounded to find White’s winning maneuver here. Can you do better? It’s a harder puzzle than usual.

It was nan Uzbek’s 2nd awesome occurrence successful a month, pursuing his triumph successful nan London Chess Classic successful December. As nan existent world No 5, Abdusattorov was unlucky not to suffice for nan eight-player Candidates to beryllium staged successful Cyprus successful March, but astatine 21 and pinch a two-year qualifying rhythm his chance will surely come.

His superior and hard-working attack is reminiscent of nan Soviet chess patriarch Mikhail Botvinnik, whose chess autobiography “Achieving nan Aim” revealed a systematic attack to winning nan world championship. Borvinnik was stimulated by his epic rivalry pinch his compatriot Vasily Smyslov.

Similarly, Abdusattov’s improved caller results whitethorn person been aided by nan beforehand of Sindarov, who has now reached No 11 successful nan unrecorded ratings and will beryllium a threat successful nan Candidates to nan US favourites Hikaru Nakamura and Fabiano Caruana.

Final starring scores were Abdusattorov 9, Sindarov 8.5, van Foreest (Netherlands), Hans Niemann (US) and Vincent Keymer (Germany) 7.5, Blübaum (Germany) and Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus (Turkey) 7.

The 4 Indian players had a unsmooth time, finishing successful places 10-13 pinch nan world champion, Gukesh Dommaraju nan champion connected 6.5, aliases 50%. Erigaisi and Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu did worse, and some plummeted down nan world rankings.

Abdusattotov will person different trial adjacent week erstwhile he is among nan 8 players successful nan first Fide Freestyle world title connected 13-15 February astatine Weissenhaus, Germany, wherever nan apical seed is Norway’s world No 1, Magnus Carlsen, making his first quality of nan year. Other competitors are nan US’s world No 3, Caruana, chap Americans Levon Aronian and Niemann, Germany’s world No 4, Keymer, Erigaisi and Sindarov. Abdusattorov was not among nan original invitees but qualified from an online tourney unfastened to each titled players.

Erdogmus, 14, is nan youngest ever 2600-rated player, and is now closing successful connected nan 2700 mark, wherever he would hit nan erstwhile records group by China’s Wei Yi astatine 15 years 9 months and Magnus Carlsen astatine 16 years 4 months. He had a blip astatine Wijk wherever he mislaid 2 games successful a statement and dropped to a 50% full aft 11 rounds, but recovered powerfully adjacent time by checkmating his opponent, who was himself poised to present mate successful nan last position. Erdogmus looks nan existent deal, a imaginable world No 1 successful nan 2030s.

The Challengers, whose victor qualifies for nan 2027 Masters, ended successful triumph for 15-year-old Andy Woodward (US) pinch 10/13, up of nan erstwhile world No 2 Vasyl Ivanchuk (Ukraine) 9.5 and Aylin Suleymanli (Azerbaijan) 9. The youngest player, Argentina’s Faustino Oro, scored 7.

The Netflix documentary Queen of Chess which is being released connected Friday is nan existent life communicative of nan all-time champion female player, Judit Polgar, and particularly of her encounters pinch nan past world No 1 Garry Kasparov. For superior chess fans, this looks from nan trailer a much absorbing watch than moreover nan wide acclaimed The Queen’s Gambit. It is apt to revisit nan contention of Linares 1994, erstwhile a video replay showed that nan past world champion Kasparov had taken backmost a knight move, and it wlll besides show Polgat’s triumph agains him successful nan Rest of nan World v Russia lucifer successful 2002.

4010: 1 Nxh6! gxh6 2 Rxe6! (2 Qg6+? Kh8 3 Qxh6+ Rh7 and 2 Rg6? Qxf4+ some favour Black) Qxe6 (2…Rxe6? 3 Qg6+ and 4 Qg7 mate ) 3 Rg6 Kh8 4 Rxh6+ Kg7 5 Qg6+ Kf8 6 Rh8+ Qg8 7 Rxg8 mate.