4th President Cup Masters 2025 R1: Nihal Sarin makes a winning start
The defending champion, GM Nihal Sarin started his defense with a win against GM Frederik Svane (GER) at 4th International President Cup 2025 Masters. Facing the Germany no.4, Nihal made his intentions clear in the middlegame. He went for an attack on the kingside and his opponent on the other flank. The pieces were traded and the German arrived at an unfavorable rook and minor piece endgame. After an incorrect pawn trade offer, the position liquidated into a rook and double knight where Nihal used his pieces beautifully to win the game. The Masters has an average rating of 2625 with an average age of 26. The total prize fund of the tournament was US$ 80000, an increase of $5000 from previous edition. The top three prizes are US$ 8000, $6000 and $5000 each. Photo: Alimurod / Uzbekistan Chess Federation
Nihal is back to defend his crown, White wins all five
The ten-player nine-round, Round-Robin Super tournament will take place from 4th to 12th December 2025 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
Nihal - Frederik: 1-0
GM Nihal Sarin (2701) faced GM Frederik Svane (GER, 2653) only once at Grand Swiss 2023. That game ended in a draw. This time, Nihal wanted to go for maximum.
White made his intentions clear with 21.h5. Black responded with an immediate counter-attack of his own 21...b3 22.Nd4 bxa2+ 23.Ka1 using Black's own pawn as a shield. Soon the queen and rook got traded, the position liquidated into a double rook and minor piece endgame.
Attempting to simplify the position 32...f6?? only worked in White's favor 33.hxg6 fxg6 34.gxf6+ Kxf6 35.Rg1 Bf5 36.Bxf5 gxf5 37.Rh1 Nihal combined his rook with two knights beautifully to win the game.
Replay Round 1 games
Round 1 results
| Bo. | No. | Rtg | White | Result | Black | Rtg | No. | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 2665 | GM | Sargsyan, Shant | 1 - 0 | GM | Abdisalimov, Abdimalik | 2561 | 10 | |||
| 2 | 2 | 2552 | GM | Madaminov, Mukhiddin | 1 - 0 | GM | Grischuk, Alexander | 2654 | 9 | |||
| 3 | 3 | 2600 | GM | Daneshvar, Bardiya | 1 - 0 | GM | Kuzubov, Yuriy | 2610 | 8 | |||
| 4 | 4 | 2641 | GM | Vokhidov, Shamsiddin | 1 - 0 | GM | Lagarde, Maxime | 2608 | 7 | |||
| 5 | 5 | 2701 | GM | Nihal, Sarin | 1 - 0 | GM | Svane, Frederik | 2653 | 6 |
Standings after Round 1
| Rk. | SNo | Name | FED | Rtg | Pts. | TB1 | TB2 | TB3 | TB4 | TB5 | w-we | K | rtg+/- | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | GM | Sargsyan, Shant | ARM | 2665 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0,36 | 10 | 3,6 | |
| 2 | GM | Madaminov, Mukhiddin | UZB | 2552 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0,64 | 10 | 6,4 | ||
| 3 | GM | Daneshvar, Bardiya | IRI | 2600 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0,51 | 10 | 5,1 | ||
| 4 | GM | Vokhidov, Shamsiddin | UZB | 2641 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0,45 | 10 | 4,5 | ||
| 5 | GM | Nihal, Sarin | IND | 2701 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0,43 | 10 | 4,3 | ||
| 6 | 6 | GM | Svane, Frederik | GER | 2653 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -0,43 | 10 | -4,3 | |
| 7 | GM | Lagarde, Maxime | FRA | 2608 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -0,45 | 10 | -4,5 | ||
| 8 | GM | Kuzubov, Yuriy | UKR | 2610 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -0,51 | 10 | -5,1 | ||
| 9 | GM | Grischuk, Alexander | FID | 2654 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -0,64 | 10 | -6,4 | ||
| 10 | GM | Abdisalimov, Abdimalik | UZB | 2561 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -0,36 | 10 | -3,6 |
Round 2 pairings
| Bo. | No. | Rtg | White | Result | Black | Rtg | No. | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 | 2561 | GM | Abdisalimov, Abdimalik | GM | Svane, Frederik | 2653 | 6 | ||||
| 2 | 7 | 2608 | GM | Lagarde, Maxime | GM | Nihal, Sarin | 2701 | 5 | ||||
| 3 | 8 | 2610 | GM | Kuzubov, Yuriy | GM | Vokhidov, Shamsiddin | 2641 | 4 | ||||
| 4 | 9 | 2654 | GM | Grischuk, Alexander | GM | Daneshvar, Bardiya | 2600 | 3 | ||||
| 5 | 1 | 2665 | GM | Sargsyan, Shant | GM | Madaminov, Mukhiddin | 2552 | 2 |
Links
Uzbekistan Chess Federation : Official site and fb page
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