3rd UzChess Cup Masters 2026: Madaminov and Theodorou stun Nepo and Niemann
Mukhiddin Madaminov, Nikolas Theodorou and Shakhriyar Mamedyarov made a winning start at 3rd UzChess Cup Masters 2026.
Arjun draws, Shakh gets the better of Vidit
A strong line up means it will produce exciting games and interesting outcomes. Recently, Hans Niemann and Ian Nepomniachtchi played eight grueling Classical games which ended in a 4-4 draw. Playing eight Classical and four games definitely takes a toll on the players. Nevertheless, it does not take away anything from what Mukhiddin Madaminov and Nikolas Theodorou achieved in Round 1. Madaminov crushed Nepomniachtchi and Theodorou got a clinical victory over Niemann. Shakhriyar Mamedyarov scored the only other victory of the round, against Vidit Gujrathi who played his first Classical rated game since November 2025 at FIDE World Cup 2025.
Madaminov – Nepomniachtchi: 1-0
This is the first time Mukhiddin Madaminov (UZB, 2586) faced the former two-time World Championship Challenger, Ian Nepomniachtchi (2733) in a Classical rated game. Madaminov played fearlessly and it paid off.
16.Bxh6!? is an interesting sacrifice. 16…gxh6? is incorrect as 17.Qxh6+- is winning. So Black opted for 16…c4 17.Bxg7 cxd3 18.Bxf8 Bxf8 19.Qxd3 despite Black’s kingside being exposed, there is no immediate win for White as he does not have sufficient pieces to launch an attack successfully. White has a long-term advantage. Soon White captured the a6-pawn and created a passed pawn on the a-file.
25.a6! is a nice move. White does not need to be bothered about defending his knight when he can promote a better piece. The game continued 25…Rb8 26.Ne4 Nxe4 27.Qxe4 Bc6 28.Qg4 Ra8 29.Ra3 Qd6 30.Rg3 Qf6 31.Rb1 Kh7 32.Rb6 Bh6 33.Qe2 and White won the game.
Theodorou – Niemann: 1-0
The winner of last year’s Challengers event, Nikolas Theodorou (GRE, 2634) and Hans Niemann (USA, 2742) are no strangers to each other. They played two Classical games against each other. Niemann won once and the other one ended in a draw. The Greece no.1 made his intentions clear early in the game when he went for a sharp line 7.g4 in the Semi-Slav Defence. The American lost a pawn on the kingside in the endgame. He did not react correctly. Theodorou utilized his extra pawn advantage into a win.
Time Control
40 moves in 90 minutes + 30 minutes for the rest of the game with 30 seconds increment starting frtom move one in Masters. For Challengers, Futures and Open, the time control is 90 minutes + 30 seconds increment.
Prizes
The total prize fund combining Masters, Challengers and Futures is US$ 215000. Masters has $150000, Challengers $50000 and Futures $15000.
Schedule
Every day from 7th to 15th June 2026, the round starts at 3 p.m. local time, 3:30 p.m. IST. Only the last round will start at 11 a.m. local time, 11:30 a.m. IST.
Replay Round 1 Masters games
Masters Round 1 results
Standings after Round 1
Round 2-9 pairings
Links
UzChess Cup: Official site, instagram and twitter
Uzbekistan Chess Federation: Telegram, Youtube, facebook and instagram
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