3 min readJun 9, 2026 11:32 PM IST
A loss to overnight leader Mukhiddin Madaminov put him, India No. 1 Arjun Erigaisi and Uzbek No. 1 Nodirbek Abdusattorov in a three-way lead after the latter two drew their respective third-round games in the UzChess Cup 2026 Masters event in Tashkent on Tuesday.
After a frenetic second round that saw all five games produce decisive results, the third round brought back normalcy with four games ending in draws while only a solitary game threw up a result.
Arjun played out a calm draw against the experienced Azerbaijani Shakhriyar Mamedyarov. Both players played with nearly 99 percent accuracy in a Queen’s Gambit Declined game that saw a rush of exchanges throughout. After playing a nearly perfect theoretical game, the players ended the contest in a threefold repetition draw after 41 moves.
Vidit Gujrathi, the other Indian in the event, finally stopped the bleeding after two consecutive losses and opened his account with half a point, drawing his third round clash against the highest-rated player of the event, Abdusattorov.
Vidit came with a clear intention to play safe and finally put an end to his losing streak. This game too saw both players register accuracy over 98 percent, giving no real breaks to each other. They mutually decided to end the game on the 31st move after completing the mandatory 30 moves required before a draw can be offered.
Madaminov, Javokhir Sindarov’s second and the lowest rated player of the event, who had lit up the stage with two back-to-back wins over Ian Nepomniachtchi and Nikolas Theodorou, lost to compatriot Shamsiddin Vokhidov. For Vokhidov, it was a comeback win after he lost his previous round to the flamboyant American Hans Niemann.
Niemann shared the spoils with Nodirbek Yakubboev, while the game between Nepomniachtchi and Theodorou also ended in an uneventful draw.
Story continues below this ad
Madaminov, Arjun and Abdusattorov are in joint lead with two points each. The chasing pack includes as many as five players on 1.5 points. Yakubboev is in ninth place with one point, while Vidit remains at the bottom with 0.5 points from three rounds.
It will be an all-Indian affair between Arjun and Vidit in the fourth round on Wednesday.
UzChess Cup 2026 – Masters Leaderboard after 3rd round
1. Mukhiddin Madaminov (UZB) – 2
2. Arjun Erigaisi (IND) – 2
3. Nodirbek Abdusattorov (UZB) – 2
4. Nikolas Theodorou (GRE) – 1.5
5. Hans Moke Niemann (USA) – 1.5
6. Ian Nepomniachtchi (RUS) – 1.5
7. Shamsiddin Vokhidov (UZB) – 1.5
8. Shakhriyar Mamedyarov (AZE) – 1.5
9. Nodirbek Yakubboev (UZB) – 1
10. Vidit Gujrathi (IND) – 0.5
