On September 20, the fifth round of the 46th World Chess Olympiad took place in Samarkand. Uzbekistan's first men's national team secured a major victory over Hungary, celebrating their fifth consecutive team win. The women's team drew with the United States.
Grandmaster Javokhir Sindarov (2778), playing black on board two, defeated experienced Hungarian grandmaster Peter Leko (2676). This was the Uzbek player's third win in four games at the home Olympiad. Excluding one round he rested, Sindarov scored 3.5 points out of a maximum 4 after five rounds. Sindarov's preparation for international tournaments, including this Chess Olympiad, his participation and work with coaches are supported by the National Bank of Uzbekistan.
In the match against Hungary, all four players of the main team secured victories. On board one, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, playing white, defeated Richard Rapport (2726). Nodirbek Yakubboev overcame Benjamin Gledura (2620), and Shamsiddin Vokhidov prevailed over Gleb Dudin (2560). As a result, Uzbekistan crushed one of its strong opponents 4-0 and maintained a 100 percent team result — after five rounds, 10 team points out of a maximum 10 have been accumulated.
After five rounds, the national team climbed to 1st place in the tournament table. Germany and India also have the same number of points, but Uzbekistan leads them on additional tiebreakers. China and France have collected 9 points each. Special mention should be made of Nodirbek Yakubboev, who for the first time during the Olympiad surpassed the 2700 mark in the online rating. After his fifth-round victory, his rating reached 2702.6, allowing him to rise to 33rd place in the online rating. Yakubboev became the third Uzbek player after Nodirbek Abdusattorov and Javokhir Sindarov to exceed a 2700 rating.
Uzbekistan's second men's team defeated the Philippines 2.5:1.5. The only win in the match was secured by Abdumalik Abdisalimov, who defeated Michael Concio on board one. Muhammadjohid Suyarov, Ortik Nigmatov and Humoyun Begmuratov drew their games. This was the second consecutive victory for Uzbekistan-2 after their loss to Germany in the third round. Uzbekistan's third men's team drew 2:2 with Austria. The only win for the Uzbeks came from Asrorbek Omonov, who defeated Valentin Baidetsky. Almas Rakhmatullaev and Muhammadali Abdurakhmonov drew with Felix Blohberger and Lukas Dotzer respectively. Bakhrom Bakhrillaev lost to Kirill Alekseenko.
In one of the central matches of the fifth round, Germany defeated the United States 2.5:1.5. The decisive point was delivered by Frederik Svane, who defeated Hans Niemann. Vincent Keymer's game against Fabiano Caruana, Matthias Bluebaum's against Wesley So, and Alexander Donchenko's against Levon Aronian all ended in draws. India beat the Netherlands 3:1: Praggnanandhaa defeated Anish Giri, and Gukesh Dommaraju defeated Erwin L'Ami. Arjun Erigaisi and Nihal Sarin drew. China lost a team point for the first time, drawing 2:2 with Armenia. None of the four games in that match produced a winner. France beat the Czech Republic 2.5:1.5, England defeated Georgia by the same score, Iran crushed Lithuania 3:1, and Poland beat Vietnam (2.5:1.5). Ukraine crushed Montenegro 3.5:0.5, while Turkey defeated Latvia by the same score.
In the women's competition, Uzbekistan's main team, ranked 13th, lost a team victory for the first time, drawing 2:2 with one of the tournament leaders — the United States (5th-ranked team). On board one, Afruza Hamdamova, playing white, defeated Carissa Yip (2468). Gulrukhbegim Tokhirjonova lost to Alice Lee (2453). Umida Omonova, who had won all four previous games, drew with Tatev Abrahamyan, continuing her unbeaten streak. Nilufarkhon Imomkuzieva also shared the point with Rose Atwell. After the draw with the US, Uzbekistan's first women's team has accumulated 9 team points out of a possible 10, trailing the leaders by one point. According to the results of five rounds, Poland, China, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan have 10 points each. The US also has 9 points. Poland leads on additional tiebreakers, followed by China and Kazakhstan.
Uzbekistan's second women's team secured a convincing 4:0 victory over Tunisia. Nilufar Yakubboeva, Marjona Malikova, Madinabonu Khalilova and Asal Salimova won their games. This was an important achievement for the team after the setback in the previous round. Uzbekistan's third women's team also performed confidently, defeating Madagascar 3.5:0.5. Zilola Aktamova, Barchinoy Shokirjonova and Ozoda Shahzodova each scored a full point. Maftuna Bobomurodova drew her game.
One of the main results of the fifth round in the women's competition was Poland's victory over India (2.5:1.5). The decisive point was delivered by Aleksandra Maltsevskaya, who defeated Vaishali Rameshbabu. The other three games ended in draws. Kazakhstan beat Germany 2.5:1.5. The only decisive game was won by Meruert Kamalidenova. China defeated Bulgaria 3:1 thanks to wins by Zhu Jiner and Sun Yuxin. Azerbaijan also defeated Serbia by the same score. Ukraine beat Austria 2.5:1.5, and Georgia defeated Indonesia by the same score. The Netherlands and Switzerland agreed to a 2:2 draw. After the fifth round, the struggle among the leaders in the women's section intensified: Uzbekistan lost its first team point in the match against the US, while Poland, Kazakhstan and China won against direct rivals.
In the sixth round, Uzbekistan's main men's team faces one of the central matches of the day — they will play against India. Both teams have accumulated 10 team points after five rounds and are among the leaders of the open section. Uzbekistan-2 will test its strength against Spain. Both teams have 8 points. The third men's team will clash with Australia — before this round, both sides have 7 points. In the women's competition, Uzbekistan's first team will play against Georgia. The Uzbek female chess players have 9 points after five rounds, while Georgia has 8. Uzbekistan-2 will play North Macedonia, and Uzbekistan-3 will face Sweden. All teams have 6 team points each.
The Chess Olympiad is held over 11 rounds using the Swiss system. In each team match, four players compete, with one additional player on the reserve list. A team win earns 2 points, a draw earns 1 point. Time control: 90 minutes for the first 40 moves, then an additional 30 minutes until the end of the game. From the first move, each player receives 30 seconds added per move. Live broadcasts of the games can be watched on the UzChess (in Uzbek) and City Chess (in Russian) YouTube channels.
Source: www.gazeta.uz