US Leads Uzbekistan 5-3 After Rapid Day in Miami

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — The United States leads Uzbekistan 5-3 after the first day of the WR Chess Rapid & Blitz tournament in Miami, Chess.com reported. (Chess.com)

Levon Aronian was the top performer for the United States, scoring 2.5 points from three games. Uzbekistan’s Nodirbek Abdusattorov scored three points from four games, but that was not enough to level the match. (Chess.com)

The tournament, organised by FIDE presidential candidate Wadim Rosenstein, uses the Scheveningen system, with five leading players from the United States facing five players from Uzbekistan over two days. The first day featured rapid chess with a time control of 15 minutes plus 10 seconds per move, while the second day is devoted entirely to blitz at three minutes plus two seconds per move. The blitz stage is scheduled to start on Tuesday, 28 July, at 1 p.m. U.S. Eastern Time. (Chess.com)

The U.S. team consists of Hikaru Nakamura, Fabiano Caruana, Wesley So, Levon Aronian and Leinier Dominguez. Uzbekistan is represented by Javokhir Sindarov, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Nodirbek Yakubboev, Shamsiddin Vokhidov and Mukhiddin Madaminov. Four games are played on four boards in each round, with one player from each team sitting out in rotation. A round win earns a team two points, regardless of whether it is achieved by a 4-0 or 2.5-1.5 score. (Chess.com)

The first round ended with a 2.5-1.5 U.S. victory. Wesley So scored the only win, defeating Mukhiddin Madaminov after introducing a novel pawn sacrifice in the Berlin Defense. The other three games ended in draws. (Chess.com)

The second round was particularly important, as Uzbekistan needed just one more draw to win the round. Hikaru Nakamura unexpectedly lost to Javokhir Sindarov in just 22 moves. The Uzbek grandmaster produced a 99.7% accuracy game, helped by his opening preparation. Wesley So then rescued the U.S. team by defeating Shamsiddin Vokhidov to make the round score 2-2. (Chess.com)

The United States won the third round 2.5-1.5. Nakamura outplayed Vokhidov in a queen-and-bishop endgame, while Aronian defeated Sindarov with the unconventional 13...Nxh5 move. Abdusattorov recorded Uzbekistan’s only win of the round by converting an exchange advantage in the endgame. (Chess.com)

The fourth round was split between the teams. Aronian defeated Nodirbek Yakubboev, while Sindarov beat Dominguez. The decisive game was between So and Abdusattorov, featuring opposite-side castling. The Uzbek grandmaster won with a rook against two minor pieces while the queens remained on the board. (Chess.com)

After the first day, Abdusattorov said the team had played very well and still had good chances of winning the overall match. He noted that the Americans were considered favourites in blitz but said Uzbekistan could have equal chances with confident play. (Chess.com)