Today, the final, 13th round of matches will be held at the prestigious "Tata Steel Chess 2026" tournament - a real nerve test for chess enthusiasts. The most pleasing thing is that our compatriots are at the center of the championship race: Nodirbek Abdusattorov leads with 8 points, and Javokhir Sindarov is his closest pursuer with 7.5 points.
In the decisive round, Nodirbek will face Arjun Erigaysi from India, and Javokhir will face Tai Dai Van Nguyen from the Philippines. Important detail: both of our chess players will play with black pieces today. So, every defense in position, every counter-game is twice as valuable.
Abdusattorov is very close to becoming the new champion. The reason is that Erigaysi has repeatedly put himself in a difficult situation with unclear decisions and hasty moves in recent debates. If this happens again today, Nodirbek will not accept this opportunity as a "gift" - he will severely punish it. In a word: there is no love on the field, only calculation.
However, there are also scenarios, and they are very interesting:
- If Nodirbek draws and Javohir wins, the championship issue could potentially escalate to a tiebreak.
- The reason for this is simple: two of our compatriots drew in a match, so if the points equalize, the possibility of additional matches increases.
The matches will kick off at 6:15 PM Tashkent time. There will also be a "last-minute goal" in chess tonight - only there it's not a goal, but one precise move that will decide.
In short, today we are one step away from opening a new page in the history of chess in our country. Now it's time for calmness, iron patience, and one timely correct decision.
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