The esports club Natus Vincere has signed contracts with three chess players. It has been announced that Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Wesley So, and Alexander Bortnik will play for the Ukrainian esports club.The team will begin its participation in the Chessable Masters online tournament. The prize fund of the competition is $150,000. The top 12 players will qualify for the Esports World Cup, held in Riyadh from July 31 to August 3, with a prize pool of $1.5 million.
The games on the first three boards ended in a draw. Grandmaster Nodirbek Abdusattorov played against Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, Nodirbek Yakubboyev faced Étienne Bacrot, and Javokhir Sindarov played against Laurent Fressinet.Before the final round, China was second with 17 points, while Slovenia held third place with 16 points. Eight more teams, including Uzbekistan, had 15 points, making a total of 10 teams competing for medals.On the first board, 20-year-old Nodirbek Abdusattorov improved his performance throughout 11 rounds, scoring 9 out of 11 points with seven wins and four draws without a single loss. This secured him the silver medal.
In the FIDE World Rapid Chess Championship held in Warsaw (Poland), Nodirbek Abdusattorov became the world champion. The Uzbekistan Chess Federation reported this.The 17-year-old Uzbek player (FIDE rating: 2633) defeated top-ranked grandmasters such as Levon Aronian (2772) and Fabiano Caruana. He also outperformed Radoslaw Wojtaszek and Boris Gelfand.In the 10th round, he beat reigning world champion Magnus Carlsen. His games against Russian Vladimir Fedoseev (11th round) and Indian Gukesh Dommaraju (12th round) ended in draws.
The Chess Federation of Uzbekistan held an awards ceremony for the year's laureates at the Republican Specialized Chess School for Children and Adolescents. A press conference dedicated to the results of 2018 took place, discussing the current state of Uzbek chess, the achievements of Uzbek players in international tournaments and world championships, and the introduction of chess as a subject in general education schools. Afterward, winners in various categories were awarded diplomas and commemorative gifts.
