"No time to relax." Yakubboev and Kasimdzhanov on the victory over India at the Chess Olympiad

"No room for relaxation." Yakubboev and Kasimdzhanov on the victory over India at the Chess Olympiad

Chess player Nodirbek Yakubboev, who brought the Uzbekistan national team the decisive point in the match against India in the sixth round of the Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, as well as team captain Rustam Kasimdzhanov, commented on the success against one of their main rivals.

According to Yakubboev, the game was not easy for him right from the opening.

"The game was very difficult. The opponent played something unexpected for me in the opening and tried to put pressure from that moment on. By around move 40, he had a big advantage. But with one move, he ruined everything. I set a trap, and he fell into it," Yakubboev told local media.

In an interview with FIDE, the chess player admitted that at one point he was close to defeat.

"I even felt a bit unpleasant that I was playing the game so poorly. But then it happened, and I was able to turn the game around and win," he noted.

Yakubboev said that even before his opponent's decisive mistake, he had noticed a tactical idea. When Sarin played his knight to f5, the Uzbekistani grandmaster immediately realized he had been given a chance.

"When I played g3, I already saw this idea. I didn't expect him to go Nf5, but when he made that move, I was very happy," Yakubboev said.

After the game, the chess player reacted emotionally to the victory. He explained that the match against India was of particular importance, as the Indian team is one of Uzbekistan's closest competitors. "I am glad that we won, became the sole leaders, and that I managed to bring victory to the team," he said.

Yakubboev also recalled that Uzbekistan's encounters with India at the two previous Olympiads had ended in draws — in Chennai and Budapest. Therefore, the current victory carried additional significance for the team.

At the same time, the grandmaster urged not to consider the result of the sixth round as final. According to him, matches against strong opponents still lie ahead.

"China, Germany, and the USA are still ahead. If they keep winning and reach us, it will be tough. Therefore, there is no room for relaxation. Now there will be one rest day, and then we need to prepare well for the next match," Yakubboev noted.

He called Nihal Sarin an uncomfortable opponent for him. Previously, Yakubboev had lost to him multiple times in online tournaments and rapid formats.

"But this time, I didn't think about online or rapid chess at all — I just tried to play well. Therefore, defeating Nihal specifically after those losses was also particularly pleasing for me," he said.

Answering FIDE's question about Uzbekistan's chances for gold, Yakubboev stated that after the victory over India, the team's position had improved, but the end of the tournament is still far away.

"Now our chances are better than those of other teams. But we cannot relax — we need to prepare better and better. We have a joke that we will rest only after the Olympiad. Until then, we need to work hard," the chess player said.

In a conversation with local journalists, he also noted that if the team maintains its current form, it has good chances to fight for the championship.

The captain of the first national team of Uzbekistan, Rustam Kasimdzhanov, also urged not to overestimate the intermediate success after the victory over India. Before the start of the Olympiad, in an interview with Gazeta, he spoke of "cautious optimism" regarding the team's prospects. After the sixth round, his position has not changed significantly.

"I am still cautiously optimistic. Perhaps a bit more optimistic now, but still cautious, because right now the guys are essentially celebrating, but we still have to get through five rounds," Kasimdzhanov told FIDE.

According to the captain, during the round, he closely monitors not only the games of the Uzbekistani chess players but also how their main competitors are performing.

"Because I think it is very important to understand how our competitors are performing. Therefore, I follow about the first four or five matches," he said.

Kasimdzhanov declined to reveal the details of the team's internal work for now.

"I will tell you the same thing I told the Uzbek press: I will share all the details when we win the Olympiad. Until then, you won't hear anything from me," he said.

A rest day is scheduled at the Olympiad on September 22. Kasimdzhanov believes that the players need to recover, but it is too early to relax completely.

"They definitely need to rest, but not too much. We need to keep working, because no one has ever won the Olympiad easily, and we won't win it easily either. There is still a lot of hard work ahead," the legend of Uzbek chess stated.

The captain also spoke about the pressure the team faces due to the Olympiad being held in Uzbekistan.

"I have always believed that playing at home is harder. It is indeed tough, but at the same time, it feels a bit like a celebration. So, it probably works both ways," Kasimdzhanov noted.

In the sixth round, Uzbekistan defeated India with a score of 2.5:1.5. The games of Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Javokhir Sindarov, and Shamsiddin Vokhidov ended in draws, with the sole victory secured by Yakubboev.

After six rounds, the Uzbekistan national team maintained its sole leadership, scoring 12 match points out of 12 possible. The next match on September 23 will be against the Chinese national team, which is also undefeated with 11 points.