Uzbek grandmaster Javokhir Sindarov emerged victorious in the blitz section of the first Daniel Naroditsky Memorial, held in Charlotte, North Carolina, USA. He scored 7.5 out of 9 points in the final, earning a $6,000 prize.

Sindarov outperformed American grandmaster Wesley So, who scored 7 points, while American Ethan Shihan took third place with 6 points. The final stage featured the top 10 players from the Masters qualification blitz tournament.

A rare sibling clash occurred in the opening round: Javokhir and Islombek Sindarov faced each other. The game drew commentators' attention, with American grandmaster Fabiano Caruana expressing surprise. Javokhir Sindarov won the encounter.

In the final, Sindarov achieved six wins and three draws. He drew with fellow Uzbek Muhiddin Madaminov, defeated Ethan Shihan, Vasif Durarbayli, Sam Sevian, Andy Woodward, Semyon Khanin, and Boris Gelfand, and shared points with Wesley So and Hikaru Nakamura.

Sindarov's performance rating in the blitz final was 2870, boosting his blitz rating by 20.7 points. Earlier, he also won the rapid section: scoring 6 out of 7 points, then defeating Indian Aravind Chitambaram 2-0 in a tiebreak, earning $3,000.

The tournament took place on July 3-5, dedicated to the memory of American grandmaster, commentator, and chess promoter Daniel Naroditsky. The program included rapid, blitz, blitz final, and a tournament for chess authors and streamers.

Source: www.gazeta.uz