The Uzbekistan national team won bronze at the FIDE World Team Blitz Championship held in Hong Kong from June 17 to 21. The team included Javokhir Sindarov, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Nodirbek Yakubboev, Shamsiddin Vokhidov, Mukhiddin Madaminov, Afruza Khamdamova, Umida Omonova, and Akjol Rakhmatullaev. The team captain was former FIDE world champion Rustam Kasimdzhanov.
One of the team's key players was Javokhir Sindarov. His participation in the team world championship, preparation for international competitions, and training sessions with coaches are supported by the National Bank of Uzbekistan. Sindarov made a significant contribution to the team's overall result. In the group stage, he scored 6.5 points in nine games. In the playoffs, he scored 5.5 points in eight games. According to the blitz tournament results, his live rating increased by 12.5 points to 2684.5.
In the tournament, Sindarov played on the second board against the world's strongest chess players, including Fabiano Caruana, Wei Yi, and Levon Aronian. Previously, during the team rapid world championship, his victory over former world champion Magnus Carlsen was one of the main events.
In the blitz round-robin stage, Uzbekistan competed in Group S and advanced to the playoffs in second place. The team accumulated 19 match points out of 22 possible and 51.5 game points, without suffering a single defeat. The Uzbek chess players won eight matches and drew three. Hexamind Chess Team took first place in the group with 21 match points and 50 game points.
In the Round of 16, Uzbekistan faced Azerbaijan's Odlar Yurdu team. The first match ended in a 3:3 draw. In the second match, the Uzbek chess players won 3.5:2.5 and advanced to the quarterfinals.
In the quarterfinals, the Uzbekistan national team faced one of the tournament's strongest teams, WR Chess, which included Magnus Carlsen, Fabiano Caruana, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, Wesley So, and other world chess stars. In the first match, Uzbekistan won 3.5:2.5. The second match ended in a 3:3 draw, and based on the results of two matches, Uzbekistan advanced to the semifinals.
In the semifinals, Uzbekistan faced China's Dragon Chilling team. The first match ended with Dragon Chilling winning 4.5:1.5. In the second match, Uzbekistan achieved a response victory with the same score of 4.5:1.5. After the exchange of victories, the fate of reaching the final was decided in a tie-break, where Dragon Chilling prevailed 4.5:1.5 and advanced to the final. Uzbekistan continued to fight for bronze medals.
In the match for third place, Uzbekistan faced Hexamind Chess Team, which included Alireza Firouzja, Levon Aronian, Anish Giri, and other strong grandmasters. The first match ended with Uzbekistan losing 2:4. In the second match, the Uzbek chess players won 3.5:2.5, forcing a tie-break. In the decisive match, Uzbekistan achieved a major victory 5.5:0.5 and won the bronze medals of the World Team Blitz Championship.
The world champion became Dragon Chilling. In the final, they defeated Endgame AI twice with a score of 5:1 and won a prize of 75,000 euros. Second place went to Endgame AI, which received 50,000 euros. The Uzbekistan national team won bronze medals and a prize of 30,000 euros. Dragon Chilling also won the team rapid world championship, securing a "golden double" in Hong Kong.
In addition to the team bronze, Uzbek chess players also won individual medals on their boards. Nodirbek Abdusattorov recorded the best result on the first board: he scored 15.5 points in 19 games with a performance rating of 2936, earning a gold medal. According to the tournament results, his live blitz rating exceeded 2800, making him the first Uzbek chess player to achieve this mark in at least one time control. Umida Omonova on the women's board scored 9 points in 12 games and won a silver medal. Akjol Rakhmatullaev also scored 14.5 points in 21 games and won a silver medal on his board. Shamsiddin Vokhidov scored 8.5 points in 15 games and won a bronze medal on the fifth board.
Earlier, the Uzbekistan national team finished eighth in the FIDE World Team Rapid Championship. One of the main events of the tournament was Javokhir Sindarov's victory over former world champion Magnus Carlsen. Although much is said about the internal competition between the two leaders of the new generation of Uzbek chess — Javokhir Sindarov and Nodirbek Abdusattorov — the world team championship also revealed another aspect of their relationship. In the quarterfinal against WR Chess, after Abdusattorov defeated Magnus Carlsen, Sindarov joyfully congratulated his teammate. This episode was widely circulated on social media as a symbol of the team spirit of Uzbek chess players.
Source: www.gazeta.uz