The prestigious Tata Steel Chess-2026 tournament, traditionally held in Waik aan Zee, Netherlands, continues in an intense and competitive manner. The 7th round of the tournament in the Masters group has concluded, and this stage has brought another piece of joyful news for Uzbek chess fans.
In the next round, young world chess star Nodirbek Abdusattorov secured a convincing victory over Vincent Kaimer of Germany. This result allowed him not only to remain the sole leader in the tournament table, but also to put serious pressure on his opponents. Currently, Abdusattorov holds the first place in the Masters group with 5.5 points.
In turn, another of our compatriots, Javokhir Sindarov, competed against American grandmaster Hans Niemann in the 7th round. The difficult and uncompromising game ended in a draw. Thus, having accumulated 4.5 points, Sindarov occupies second place in the overall standings and remains among the leaders.
Looking at the following tournament table, the results of two Uzbek grandmasters stand out. Experienced chess players like Hans Niemann, Yagiz Kaan Erdogmush, Vladimir Fedoseev, and Jorden van Foreest are trailing them with 4 points. This indicates a further intensification of the struggle in subsequent rounds.
At the moment, Abdusattorov is not only the leader of the tournament, but also remains in the spotlight with his earlier qualification for the World Cup. His consistent play and cold-blooded decisions serve as a serious test for his Masters group opponents.
In short, the Tata Steel Chess-2026 tournament presents historic and glorious moments for Uzbek chess. Such high results of Abdusattorov and Sindarov not only increase the tournament's intrigue, but also once again raise the flag of Uzbekistan high on the Veik aan Zee stage.
