Uzbekistan becomes the champion of the 46th Chess Olympiad with 20 points!
The 46th Chess Olympiad, hosted in the city of Samarkand, went down in history with the unprecedented victory of the Uzbekistan men's national team. In the decisive matches of the 11th round, main competitor India drew 2-2 with Hungary, stopping their point tally at 18, which mathematically guaranteed our representatives the championship ahead of schedule. However, our guys did not stop in a championship spirit, defeating the strong Ukraine national team 2.5 : 1.5 to bring their total points to 20 and celebrating the gold medals as absolute leaders.
Coached by former world champion Rustam Kasimdzhanov, our main team crushed world giants such as India (2.5:1.5), China (3:1), top-seeded USA, and Armenia (3.5:0.5), repeating the 2022 Chennai success and climbing to the highest peak of the Olympiad podium for the second time in the last 4 years.
"20 points, the surrender of Ukraine, and historic second gold": 5 key points of the Samarkand triumph
The most important official indicators from the final 11th round of the Olympiad and the results shown by the teams of Uzbekistan:
Absolute championship with 20 points: The main Uzbekistan men's team defeated Ukraine 2.5 : 1.5 and finished the tournament in 1st place with 20 points;
Madaminov's decisive victory: At a time when draws were recorded on the other three boards, Muhiddin Madaminov defeated Roman Degtiarov 1:0 to decide the fate of the match;
India stopped at 18 points: Pursuer India's 2-2 draw with Hungary resolved the championship question in favor of Uzbekistan ahead of schedule;
Bright participation of Uzbekistan-3 teams: The Uzbekistan-3 men's team heavily defeated Andorra (2.5:1.5), and Uzbekistan-3 in the women's category heavily defeated South Africa (3.5:0.5);
Difficult match of the women's team: The main women's national team lost to strong Armenia with a score of 1:3.
46th Chess Olympiad: Results of all boards in the 11th round (Complete classification)
The table of individual and team matches recorded by the Uzbekistan national teams in the decisive final round in Samarkand:
National teams and categories | Board 1 | Board 2 | Board 3 | Board 4 | Final score |
Uzbekistan — Ukraine (Men) | N. Abdusattorov — I. Kovalenko (0.5 : 0.5) | V. Ivanchuk — J. Sindarov (0.5 : 0.5) | N. Yakubboev — I. Samunenkov (0.5 : 0.5) | R. Degtiarov — M. Madaminov (0 : 1) | 2.5 : 1.5 (Gold!) |
China — Uzbekistan-2 (Men) | Ding Liren — J. Vakhidov (0.5 : 0.5) | A. Abdisalimov — Wei Yi (0 : 1) | Yu Yangyi — M. Suyarov (1 : 0) | H. Begmuratov — Xu Xiangyu (0.5 : 0.5) | 3 : 1 |
Andorra — Uzbekistan-3 (Men) | O. Aguado — S. Saydaliyev (0.5 : 0.5) | A. Rakhmatullaev — S. Veganzoses (1 : 0) | D. Anadon — M. Abdurakhmonov (0 : 1) | A. Omonov — E. Giu (0 : 1) | 1.5 : 2.5 |
Armenia — Uzbekistan (Women) | L. Mkrtchyan — A. Khamdamova (1 : 0) | G. Tokhirjonova — M. Mkrtchyan (0 : 1) | E. Danielian — U. Omonova (0.5 : 0.5) | G. Karimova — S. Gaboyan (0.5 : 0.5) | 3 : 1 |
Uzbekistan-2 — Israel (Women) | N. Yakubbaeva — M. Efroimski (0 : 1) | N. Orian — M. Malikova (0.5 : 0.5) | M. Khalilova — O. Gutmaker (ongoing) | V. Chernyak — A. Salimova (0.5 : 0.5) | 1 : 2 (LIVE) |
Uzbekistan-3 — South Africa (Women) | Z. Aktamova — Sh. Badenhorst (0.5 : 0.5) | A. Solomons — M. Bobomurodova (0 : 1) | B. Shokirjonova — H. Nel (1 : 0) | S. Masango — O. Shakhzodova (0 : 1) | 3.5 : 0.5 |
Chess expertise: Why is Uzbekistan's 20-point victory a unique phenomenon?
Conclusions of international grandmasters, chess theorists, and leading commentators:
"Madaminov's championship game": At a time when uncompromising draws were being recorded on the first three boards in the match against Ukraine, Muhiddin Madaminov's victory with black pieces against Roman Degtiarov on board 4 once again proved the team's reserve strength and that all boards are equally strong;
Chennai, Budapest, and Samarkand trilogy: Winning two golds (2022, 2026) and one bronze (2024) in the last three Olympiads officially confirms that the era of Uzbekistan has begun in world chess; no other national team in modern chess had demonstrated such high stability;
Unprecedented reserve of the youth school: The brave struggle of Uzbekistan's 2nd and 3rd teams against the national teams of China, Andorra, and South Africa shows that the foundation of the intellectual generation in the country is solid.
In your opinion, which of our grandmasters — Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Javokhir Sindarov, or Muhiddin Madaminov — made the greatest contribution to the team's victory at the 46th Chess Olympiad in Samarkand? Leave your sincere congratulations and thoughts in the comments about our country's chess players wearing the world crown for the second time in 4 years, and actively share this historical article, which is our national pride, with all chess fans!
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