Uzbekistan men's chess teams unmatched in Samarkand: full results of round 9

The 9th round matches, which decide the fate of the gold medals at the 46th Chess Olympiad hosted by the city of Samarkand, have come to an end. In the central clash that captured the attention of the world, the main national team of Uzbekistan defeated the tournament favorites USA with a score of 2.5 : 1.5. On board 1, Nodirbek Abdusattorov defeated Fabiano Caruana with the white pieces (1:0), while Nodirbek Yakubboyev won against Hans Niemann (1:0). Although Wesley So got the better of Javokhir Sindarov, Muhiddin Madaminov's draw worth its weight in gold against Levon Aronian (0.5:0.5) secured the absolute victory.

The true sensation of the day was recorded by our Uzbekistan-2 team: our youth crushed European giants the Netherlands with a score of 3.5 : 0.5 — Jahongir Vakhidov defeated opposing leader Anish Giri, while Suyarov and Nigmatov also celebrated victories in their matches. In the Central Asian derby, the Uzbekistan-3 team defeated Kyrgyzstan with a score of 2.5 : 1.5 (thanks to Asrorjon Omonov's victory). In the women's matches, although our main national team lost to strong India with a score of 1:3, the Uzbekistan-2 women's team achieved a spirited victory over Iceland with a score of 2.5 : 1.5, and Uzbekistan-3 lost to Italy with a score of 1.5 : 2.5.

«The surrender of the USA, the crushing of the Netherlands, and the derby triumph»: 5 main points of round 9

The most important facts from the results of the historic 9th round in Samarkand:

• Great victory over the USA (2.5 : 1.5): Abdusattorov defeated Caruana, Yakubboyev defeated Niemann, bringing top-level points to our team;

• Sensationally crushing the Netherlands (3.5 : 0.5): The Uzbekistan-2 team left no chances for the strong Dutch national team led by Anish Giri;

• Success in the Central Asian derby: The Uzbekistan-3 men's team outperformed Kyrgyzstan with a score of 2.5 : 1.5;

• India's superiority in the women's match: Our main women's team suffered a 1:3 defeat in the match against world ranking leaders India;

• Victory of the Uzbekistan-2 girls: Our second female squad defeated Iceland with a score of 2.5 : 1.5, continuing their run in the tournament.

46th Chess Olympiad: Full protocol and results table of round 9

Uzbekistan's all men's and women's teams recorded indicators:

Chess expertise: Why did round 9 prove Uzbekistan's absolute superiority?

Conclusions of international grandmasters and experts:

• «The fall of two great giants in one day»: At a time when our main team defeated the USA, the crushing of world elite member the Netherlands by our second squad with a score of 3.5:0.5 proves that the reserve base of the Uzbek chess school is the strongest on the planet; Jahongir Vakhidov's victory over Anish Giri became the brightest individual win of the round;

• Abdusattorov's leadership skill: Nodirbek Abdusattorov's aggressive and composed game displayed with the white pieces against Caruana gave psychological superiority to the entire team;

• On the threshold of gold medals: The victory over the USA turned the Uzbekistan men's team into the main and absolute leader in defending their Olympiad championship.

Do you think the Uzbekistan men's national team will maintain this pace in the remaining rounds and be able to retain the Olympiad gold medals in Samarkand? Personally, how do you assess Vakhidov's victory over Anish Giri and Abdusattorov's victory over Caruana? Leave your personal congratulations and thoughts in the comments and share the analysis of our national team's great historical success with all chess enthusiasts!