{"id":4300,"date":"2026-07-05T21:11:06","date_gmt":"2026-07-05T19:11:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/skolasachu.com\/?p=4300"},"modified":"2026-07-07T18:16:01","modified_gmt":"2026-07-07T16:16:01","slug":"tournament-turned-upside-down","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/skolasachu.com\/en\/turnaj-naruby\/","title":{"rendered":"Tournament turned upside down"},"content":{"rendered":"

The report from this year's UzChess Cup Masters could be given a headline a metre long, and it still wouldn't capture all the interesting and important events that took place in Tashkent. The organisers invited not only a strong but also a generationally balanced lineup, and they really had a lucky hand in their selection! After all, how often in life do we watch a strong tournament ultimately won by the youngest participant with by far the lowest rating? Nevertheless, I would hesitate to report on a tournament without players from the world top ten if it weren't for a sharp generational clash not only on the chessboard but also in views on how far chess etiquette or even ethics extend, even though everything happened within the rules.<\/p>\n

The tournament offered countless beautiful and instructive moments. This time, however, I would be most interested in readers' opinions on the widely discussed dispute after the game between the oldest and youngest participants! We naturally devote a separate chapter to this clash\u2026<\/p>\n

Clash of Generations<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

Indeed, seasoned readers may object: \u201eNowadays, chess generations clash almost permanently!\u201c Certainly, but in Tashkent it was truly something extraordinary, rarely seen at this level.<\/p>\n

Let us look at the tournament lineup from the oldest participant to the youngest:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Player<\/strong><\/td>\nCountry<\/strong><\/td>\nRating<\/strong><\/td>\nBorn<\/strong><\/td>\nAge<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Shakhriyar Mamedyarov<\/td>\nAzerbaijan<\/td>\n2717<\/td>\n1985<\/strong><\/td>\n41<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Jan Nepomniachtchi<\/td>\nRussia<\/td>\n2729<\/td>\n1990<\/strong><\/td>\n35<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Vidit Santosh Gujrathi<\/td>\nIndia<\/td>\n2708<\/td>\n1994<\/strong><\/td>\n31<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Hans Moke Niemann<\/td>\nUSA<\/td>\n2742<\/td>\n2003<\/strong><\/td>\n22<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Arjun Erigaisi<\/td>\nIndia<\/td>\n2751<\/td>\n2003<\/strong><\/td>\n21<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Nodirbek Yakubboev<\/td>\nUzbekistan<\/td>\n2689<\/td>\n2002<\/strong><\/td>\n24<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Nikolas Theodorou<\/td>\nGreece<\/td>\n2635<\/td>\n2000<\/strong><\/td>\n25<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Nodirbek Abdusattorov<\/td>\nUzbekistan<\/td>\n2780<\/td>\n2004<\/strong><\/td>\n20<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Shamsiddin Vokhidov<\/td>\nUzbekistan<\/td>\n2637<\/td>\n2002<\/strong><\/td>\n23<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Mukhiddin Madaminov<\/td>\nUzbekistan<\/td>\n2586<\/td>\n2006<\/strong><\/td>\n19<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

More generationally clear:<\/p>\n

On one side:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • Mamedyarov (1985),<\/li>\n
  • Nepomniachtchi (1990),<\/li>\n
  • Vidit (1994).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    On the other:<\/p>\n

      \n
    • Erigaisi (2003),<\/li>\n
    • Niemann (2003)<\/li>\n
    • Abdusattorov (2004),<\/li>\n
    • Madaminov (2006).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      Not only knowledgeable readers who look at the list of participants might wonder how a nineteen-year-old Mukhiddin Madaminov<\/strong>. could get into the tournament. After all, it is not exactly common for a grandmaster with a rating under 2,600 to start in the main event!<\/p>\n

      I have mentioned the likeable young man several times in articles, but always in connection with his role as a second. We saw him alongside the winner Javokhir Sindarov both at the World Cup in Indian Goa and at the Candidates Tournament. After Sindarov became Gukesh's challenger, he had to adjust his tournament schedule, and so Madaminov replaced him in Tashkent. Moreover, it is hard to talk about any kind of \u201eprotection.\u201c Just look at the Uzbek rating list and assume that the forty-six-year-old former FIDE world champion Kasimdzhanov probably no longer wants to play. No one else is rated higher.<\/p>\n

      \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

      The final table on live.chessbase.com shows that the victory was shared by two Uzbek grandmasters. As is almost the rule nowadays, the ultimate winner was decided by a supplementary blitz tiebreak over two games. Madaminov won it 2\u20130!<\/em><\/p>\n

      Where are the limits of Madaminov's possibilities?<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

      \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

      \u201eThe \u201cincredible twists\u201e \u2013 as many probably characterised the victory of the tournament's youngest player of category XVII \u2013 will be the subject of further chapters. However, everyone could see Madaminov's abilities and also how unclear the answer to the question \u201cWhere are the limits of his possibilities?\" was in round 6!<\/p>\n

      Madaminov started the tournament with two unexpected wins. However, he then lost in the next two rounds, so I was certainly not the only one thinking that everything was returning to the old ways.<\/p>\n

      His true abilities, however, Madaminov<\/strong> showed in the game against Vidit<\/strong>. After 23.g3<\/span><\/p>\n

      \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

      he faced a difficult task against the experienced Indian grandmaster. Where to retreat the attacked knight? Should he choose 23...Nh3+, 23...Ne6, or use the \u201elittle tactic\u201c 23...Nd3? (The move 23...h5!? is analysed separately and will not be the subject of our considerations here.)<\/p>\n

      Let us first look at how Black should have continued. The correct move, maintaining approximate equality, was 23...Ne6<\/strong><\/span>.<\/p>\n

      \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

      In the post-game interview (see video below), Madaminov also mentioned this moment! After the retreat, the knight hangs.<\/p>\n

      Which of the moves would you choose in the game: 24.Kg2 or 24.Qe2?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

      After nearly twenty-five minutes of thought, Black chose perhaps the most tempting but actually the worst continuation: 23...Nd3??<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

      \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

      he certainly calculated 24.Bxh6+! Kg8<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

      \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

      and perhaps thought something like: \u201eWhite simply cannot play, everything hangs for him!\u201c But the move that followed belongs to those we see from geniuses. Or after it, Black falls off his chair as his vision literally darkens \u2013 and it must be said, not only his! What followed was 25.Kg2!!<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

      \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

      Amazing imagination! Not only does he leave his royal rook to its fate, but he does so with check! Such a move could adorn textbooks of tactics or calculation skills.<\/p>\n

      As usual, let us prefer the abbreviated notation if available. After all, even the great Sagar Shah is not a superhuman!<\/p>\n