Uzbekistan's national chess team lost to the US team 14:10 at the WR Chess Rapid & Blitz Miami 2026 tournament held on July 27-28 in Miami. Despite the overall loss, Uzbek grandmasters Javokhir Sindarov and Nodirbek Abdusattorov delivered outstanding individual performances.
The tournament was played using the Scheveningen system, where four players from each team competed per round, with one player resting. A team win earned two points, a draw one, and individual game results were not counted. The US team entered as favorites, with an average rating of 2761 compared to Uzbekistan's 2699, a difference of 62 points.
Javokhir Sindarov recorded the best individual result, scoring 7.5 points in 12 games. He notably defeated Hikaru Nakamura in both rapid and blitz formats. In the rapid game, Sindarov won with white pieces in 22 moves, achieving 99.7% accuracy according to Chess.com. "This game was very easy for me because I prepared well for the opening. I think he knows everything, but he just forgot this line," Sindarov said.
Nodirbek Abdusattorov also scored 7.5 points in 12 games. In the rapid section, he earned three points from four games, the best on the first day. Abdusattorov defeated Lenier Dominguez, Wesley So, Hikaru Nakamura, and Fabiano Caruana. After the match, he highlighted the team's camaraderie: "What sets us apart from other teams is our friendship and very good team atmosphere. We have been playing together since childhood."
Nodirbek Yakubboev scored 4.5 points in nine games, securing important blitz wins over Levon Aronian and Fabiano Caruana. Shamsiddin Vokhidov earned two points in seven games, and Muhiddin Madaminov 1.5 points in eight.
After the first day's rapid rounds, the US led 5:3. At the start of the blitz, Abdusattorov defeated Nakamura to level the score at 5:5. The US then won two consecutive rounds, but Uzbekistan responded with two 3:1 victories to tie again at 9:9. The sixth and seventh blitz rounds proved decisive: the US first won 2.5:1.5, then 3.5:0.5, securing a 13:9 lead. The final round ended in a 2:2 draw. The US won the blitz 9:7 and overall 14:10. In individual game points, the US led 25:23 in blitz and 8.5:7.5 in rapid.
US grandmaster Wesley So praised the Uzbek players: "The Uzbekistan team is a very serious opponent. They are improving every year. Sindarov's talent and potential are limitless. The same can be said about Nodirbek — the first Nodirbek."
The Miami tournament was considered a preparation stage for the World Chess Olympiad scheduled for September in Samarkand. Uzbekistan's main squad participated in full strength.
Source: www.gazeta.uz