Abdusattorov breaks Maghsoodloo's unbeaten run

With a splendid display of positional play, Nodirbek Abdusattorov breaks the unbeaten run of Iran's Parham Maghsoodloo to take the lead in the II Uzbekistan Cup, and is half a point clear of India's Arjun Erigaisi and Uzbekistan's Javokhir Sindarov, with two rounds remaining in the close and attractive tournament taking place in Tashkent.

Abdusattorov, the 20-year-old star from Ubekistan, ranked sixth in the FIDE rankings, secured his fourth victory and reached 5 real points with +4, =2, -1, in a game with the hallmark of strategic mastery. He exploited an inaccuracy by Maghsoodlo, 24, a former Junior World Champion, in the opening, Sicilian Defense, Taimanov Variation, seizing a space on the d6 square where he installed a bishop that not only prevented the Black monarch from castling but also constricted the position with the strength of a noose. In the middlegame and endgame, Abdu dominated and finished with a mate-like finish.

Qualification, round 7: 1) Nodirbek Abdusattórov, Uzbekistan, 5; 2) Arjun Erigaisi, India, 4 ½; 3) Javokhir Sindarov, Uzbekistan, 4 ½; 4) Parham Maghsoodloo, Iran, 4; 5) Nodilrbek Yakubboev, Uzbekistan, 3 ½; 6) Praggnanandhaa, Rameshbabu, India, 3 ½; 7) Richard Rapport, Hungary, 3 ½; 8) Ian Nepomniachtchi, Russia, 3; 9) Shamsiddin Vokhidov, Uzbekistan, 2; 10) Aravindh, Chitambaram, India, 2 points.

Results R-7: 1) Nepo ½ Praggna; 2) Abdu 1-0 Maghsoo; 3) Vokhidov ½ Yakubboev; 4) Sindarov 1-0 Aravindh; 5) Rapport ½ Erigaisi.

R-8 Pairing: 1) Praggna vs. Erigaisi!; 2) Aravindh vs. Rapport; 3) Yakubboev vs. Sindarov; 4) Maghsoo vs. Vokhidov; 5) Nepo vs. Abdul!

White: Nodirbek Abdusattórov, Uzbekistan, 2,767. Black: Parham Maghsoodloo, Iran, 2,691. Siciliana, Taimanov, B47. R-7, II Uzbekistan Cup, Tashkent, 06-25-2025.

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6 5.Nc3 Qc7 6.Qd3 a6 (6...Nf6 7.Ndb5= Qb8 8.Qg3 d6 9.Be3 a6 10.Nd4 h5=), 7.Nxc6 Qxc6 8.Bf4 Ne7 This move, in conjunction with the second move 2. ...e6, is certainly Mark Taimanov's creation. The aim is to prevent White's e5 from harassing the knight on f6. In the original idea, the knight could have gone to c6 or g6, and this setup is flexible, as Black can play a Scheveningen scheme at a suitable moment. However, Ne7 does not seem very successful at this moment, as it leaves a hole on the d6 square that can be filled by Bf4. 9.0–0–0 (9.Bd6± b5 10.a4 f5 11.Be2 Ng6 12.Bxf8 Rxf8 13.Qd4 e5?+- 14.Qb4+-) 9...b5 10.h4 Bb7 11.h5 Rd8 12.Qd4 f6± 13.Bd6 Bd6 acts like a splinter in the eye, not only does it constrict Black’s position further, it blocks the Rd8 action and may actually prevent castling. The centralized king is vulnerable. If it were White’s turn, the natural move would be h6 to further weaken the Black king’s weak armor. 13...Nc8 14.Bxf8 Rxf8 (14...Kxf8 15.a4 bxa4 16.h6 Qb6 17.Nxa4 Qxd4 18.Rxd4 e5 19.Rd1 Bxe4 20.Nc5 Bg6 21.Ne6++-) 15.Rh3 In the Karpov style, the development of the T along the third rank, with the idea of ​​quickly placing it on the central squares or on g3. 15...Qb6 In a relatively disadvantageous situation, it is not advisable to exchange pieces (you lose a defender and your most powerful piece), but Black feels the need to get active. His pieces are spectators. 16.Qd2 With the aim of maintaining the pressure on the opponent. Sooner or later, time may also play a decisive role. 16...Bc6 17.Re1 Qc5 18.Nd5! Kf7 19.Nb4 Another strong move could be: 19.h6 exd5 20.hxg7 Rfe8 21.e5 Rxe5 22.Rxe5 fxe5 23.Qg5 Rg8 24.Rf3+ Ke8 25.Be2+-. 19...Bb7 20.h6 (20.Nd3 Qd4 21.c3 Qb6 22.e5± f5 23.h6 g6 24.Nf4 Ne7 25.Rd3 Nd5+-) 20...g6 21.e5 Kg8 22.Nd3 Qd4 Better Qd5 to keep it with support. 23.g3 Nb6 24.Rh4 Qd5 25.b3 Rc8 26.exf6 Rxf6 27.c3 d6?+- weakens e6. 28.Bh3+- Abdu punishes him with the natural move. Which does not mean that he did not calculate before moving. Sometimes, due to sense and positional intuition, MSGs do not calculate. 28...g5? (28...e5 29.Bxc8 Bxc8 30.The4 Bf5 31.R4e3 Re6 32.f4 e4 33.Nf2+-) 29.Rh5 Kh8 30.Rxg5+- Rxc3+ A desperate little tactical combination from Maghsoodloo. He feels the bite of time. The clocks show 7'11" for Abdu and 3'02" for the Iranian GM. He is forced to make 10 moves at an average of 6 seconds to reach the time control. 31.Kb2 (31.Qxc3 Qxg5+; 31.Qxc3 Qxg5+ 32.f4 Qxh6 33.Rxe6 Nd5 34.Qd4 Qxh3 35.Rxf6 Qc8+ 36.Kd2 Nxf6 37.Qxf6+ Kg8 38.Qxd6+-) 31...Qxd3 32.Qxc3 Qxc3+ 33.Kxc3 In the endgame the exchange is decisive. 33...Nd5+ 34.Kd2 e5 (34...Rxf2+ 35.Re2 Rxe2+ 36.Kxe2 Nc3+ 37.Kd3 Ne4 38.Rg7+-) 35.Rg7 Bc6 36.Rc1 Nb4 37.a3 Rxf2+ 38.Ke3 Rc2 39.Be6 They resign before the mate image. 1–0.