Elite chess tournament in Tashkent
UzChess Cup
The 2027 dates, how the four sections work, the 2026 and 2025 standings, the Indian players and every winner since 2024.
The UzChess Cup is a yearly chess tournament in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, first played in 2024. Its top group, the Masters, is a 10-player round robin of elite grandmasters, and the next edition is set for June 2027. Mukhiddin Madaminov of Uzbekistan won the 2026 Masters as the lowest-rated player in the field, and India's R Praggnanandhaa won in 2025.
Next UzChess Cup: 2027
- Dates
- June 2027; the organiser's site lists 10 to 20 June
- City
- Tashkent, Uzbekistan
- Venue
- Not announced by 24 September 2026; 2026 was at the Crowne Plaza hotel
- Round start
- 15:00 in Tashkent, 3:30 PM IST
- Sections
- Masters, Challengers and Futures (10 players each), plus an Open
- Masters names so far
- Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Nodirbek Yakubboev, Shamsiddin Vokhidov, Mahammad Muradli
- 2026 winner
- Mukhiddin Madaminov (Uzbekistan)
- Organiser
- Uzbekistan Chess Federation, with support from FIDE
The organiser's schedule page lists 10 to 20 June 2027, with rounds at 15:00 local time, which is 3:30 PM in India. Treat these dates as provisional: the same site's schedule pages for 2024 and 2025 still show October dates, while both events were played in June, and the 2027 pages carry some text from 2026. The venue and the full fields are not announced yet.
As of 24 September 2026, the 2027 Masters list has four of its ten names: Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Nodirbek Yakubboev and Shamsiddin Vokhidov of Uzbekistan, and Mahammad Muradli of Azerbaijan, who earned his place by winning the 2026 Challengers. Khumoyun Begmuratov is listed for the Challengers and Timur Gareyev for the Futures, both as winners of a lower group in 2026.
All three editions so far were in June: 6 to 14 June 2024, 19 to 27 June 2025 and 7 to 15 June 2026. In 2026, a first Masters field was out on 24 April, six weeks before round 1, and one name changed later: Madaminov came in as a late replacement for Javokhir Sindarov. This page will add the 2027 field and venue when the organiser publishes them.
How the UzChess Cup works
The Uzbekistan Chess Federation runs the UzChess Cup with support from FIDE and the Youth Affairs Agency of Uzbekistan, according to the 2025 regulations. It is a festival of four sections that play at the same time. The Masters is the top group, and in 2025 the announcement set it for players rated 2700 and above, the Challengers for 2600 and above, and the Futures for 2500 and above. The Open takes anyone who enters.
| Section | Players | Format | First prize (2025) | 2026 winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters | 10 | Round robin, 9 rounds | $20,000 | Mukhiddin Madaminov |
| Challengers | 10 | Round robin, 9 rounds | $6,000 | Mahammad Muradli |
| Futures | 10 | Round robin, 9 rounds | $4,000 | Khumoyun Begmuratov |
| Open | 141 in 2026 | Swiss, 9 rounds | $2,500 | Timur Gareyev |
In the Masters, the Challengers and the Futures, each player meets every other player once over 9 rounds, one round a day with no rest day. In 2026 all three groups played with 90 minutes for the first 40 moves, then 30 more minutes, with 30 seconds added for every move from move one. The Open is a 9-round Swiss at 90 minutes plus 30 seconds a move.
A tie for first place goes to a blitz playoff with 3 minutes each and 2 seconds a move. The 2025 regulations add an Armageddon game if two blitz games do not decide it. In 2026 Madaminov beat Shamsiddin Vokhidov 2-0 in the blitz. The other places are split by tiebreaks, starting with the game between the tied players and then the Sonneborn-Berger score.
Places are by invitation. Under the 2025 rules, each group had six foreign players above its rating floor and four Uzbek players picked by the organisers, for whom the floor did not apply. The winners move up a group: the Challengers winner gets a Masters place the next year, the Futures winner a Challengers place and the Open winner a Futures place, which FIDE's 2026 report also describes. Vokhidov won the 2024 Challengers and played the 2025 Masters, and Nikolas Theodorou won the 2025 Challengers and played the 2026 Masters. The Tata Steel Chess Tournament in Wijk aan Zee has a similar Masters and Challengers ladder.
Madaminov climbed the groups himself. He played the 2024 Futures as an international master, finished second in the 2025 Challengers at 18, and won the 2026 Masters.
UzChess Cup prize money
The 2026 prize fund for all four sections was $121,500, according to Chess.com, and Madaminov took $20,000 for first place in the Masters. The 2025 fund had the same total. FIDE and the 2025 regulations split it into $80,000 for the Masters, $25,000 for the Challengers, $11,500 for the Futures and $5,000 for the Open.
| Year | Prize fund | Masters first prize | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $166,000 | $25,000 | Nodirbek Yakubboev |
| 2025 | $121,500 | $20,000 | R Praggnanandhaa |
| 2026 | $121,500 | $20,000 | Mukhiddin Madaminov |
The first edition paid more at the top. ChessBase India gives a fund of $166,000 for 2024, and Chess.com reports $25,000 to Nodirbek Yakubboev for first place and $20,000 to Nodirbek Abdusattorov for second.
UzChess Cup 2026 final standings
Mukhiddin Madaminov won the 2026 UzChess Cup Masters, played from 7 to 15 June at the Crowne Plaza hotel in Tashkent. He and Shamsiddin Vokhidov both scored 5.5/9, and Madaminov won the blitz playoff 2-0. Ian Nepomniachtchi, Shakhriyar Mamedyarov and Arjun Erigaisi finished half a point behind.
| Place | Player | Federation | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mukhiddin Madaminov | Uzbekistan | 5.5, won the playoff |
| 2 | Shamsiddin Vokhidov | Uzbekistan | 5.5 |
| 3 | Ian Nepomniachtchi | FIDE flag | 5 |
| 4 | Shakhriyar Mamedyarov | Azerbaijan | 5 |
| 5 | Arjun Erigaisi | India | 5 |
| 6 | Nodirbek Abdusattorov | Uzbekistan | 4.5 |
| 7 | Hans Niemann | United States | 4 |
| 8 | Nodirbek Yakubboev | Uzbekistan | 4 |
| 9 | Vidit Gujrathi | India | 3.5 |
| 10 | Nikolas Theodorou | Greece | 3 |
Madaminov was the lowest-rated player in the field at 2586, and he only joined as a late replacement for Javokhir Sindarov. He beat Nepomniachtchi in round 1, the same day Nikolas Theodorou beat Hans Niemann. His 5.5 points were a 2790 performance, according to The Week in Chess.
Vokhidov lost to Niemann in round 2, then won three games in a row against Madaminov, Theodorou and Nepomniachtchi to lead after round 5. Madaminov caught him in round 6 with a win against Vidit Gujrathi, and the two shared the lead to the end. In round 9 Madaminov was a clear pawn up against Niemann and could have won the title outright, but he did not convert it. Nodirbek Abdusattorov, the highest-rated player, finished sixth.
About the sacrifices in his win against Vidit, Madaminov said: "I didn't really have any other choice!"
UzChess Cup 2026 Challengers, Futures and Open
Mahammad Muradli of Azerbaijan won the Challengers with 7.5/9, two points clear of the field. He won six games, drew three and did not lose, a 2849 performance. The win gives him a place in the 2027 Masters. India's Aditya Mittal finished second with 5.5 points.
| Place | Player | Federation | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mahammad Muradli | Azerbaijan | 7.5 |
| 2 | Aditya Mittal | India | 5.5 |
| 3 | Bogdan-Daniel Deac | Romania | 5 |
| 4 | Mukhammadzokhid Suyarov | Uzbekistan | 4.5 |
| 5 | Brandon Jacobson | United States | 4.5 |
| 6 | Yuriy Kuzubov | Ukraine | 4.5 |
| 7 | Abdimalik Abdisalimov | Uzbekistan | 4 |
| 8 | Saparmyrat Atabayev | Turkmenistan | 4 |
| 9 | Eltaj Safarli | Azerbaijan | 3 |
| 10 | Jakhongir Vakhidov | Uzbekistan | 2.5 |
The Futures went to Khumoyun Begmuratov of Uzbekistan, born in 2010, with 7/9, half a point ahead of Rinat Jumabayev of Kazakhstan. S.P. Sethuraman of India was third with 5.5. Begmuratov moves up to the 2027 Challengers. Timur Gareyev won the Open on tiebreak over Shavkatjon Abdukholikov of Uzbekistan, after both scored 7.5/9 in a field of 141 players.
UzChess Cup 2025 results
R Praggnanandhaa won the 2025 UzChess Cup Masters, played in Tashkent from 19 to 27 June. He, Javokhir Sindarov and Nodirbek Abdusattorov all finished on 5.5/9, so the three played a 3+2 blitz playoff. A double round robin left all three on 2/4, and Praggnanandhaa then scored 1.5/2 in a second, single round robin to take the title and $20,000.
| Place | Player | Federation | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | R Praggnanandhaa | India | 5.5, won the playoff |
| 2 | Javokhir Sindarov | Uzbekistan | 5.5 |
| 3 | Nodirbek Abdusattorov | Uzbekistan | 5.5 |
| 4 | Arjun Erigaisi | India | 5 |
| 5 | Parham Maghsoodloo | Iran | 4.5 |
| 6 | Richard Rapport | Hungary | 4.5 |
| 7 | Nodirbek Yakubboev | Uzbekistan | 4.5 |
| 8 | Shamsiddin Vokhidov | Uzbekistan | 4 |
| 9 | Ian Nepomniachtchi | FIDE flag | 3.5 |
| 10 | Aravindh Chithambaram | India | 2.5 |
Arjun Erigaisi was fourth with 5 points. The other sections went to Nikolas Theodorou of Greece in the Challengers (6.5/9), Saparmyrat Atabayev of Turkmenistan in the Futures (6/9) and Bekhruz Umarov of Uzbekistan in the Open (8/9), according to the organiser. Sindarov, who tied for first in Tashkent, went on to win the 2026 Candidates Tournament and plays Gukesh for the world title in Geneva from 24 November 2026.
Indian players at the UzChess Cup
R Praggnanandhaa is the only Indian winner of the Masters so far, in 2025, a year before he also won Norway Chess. India has had a player in the Masters in every edition: Vidit Gujrathi in 2024, Praggnanandhaa, Arjun Erigaisi and Aravindh Chithambaram in 2025, and Arjun and Vidit in 2026.
In 2026 Arjun finished fifth with 5/9. He beat Nodirbek Yakubboev in round 2 and Nikolas Theodorou in round 9, the only win of the last round, and lost to Nepomniachtchi in round 6. Vidit finished ninth with 3.5 points; his one win came against Theodorou in round 7, after a loss to Madaminov in round 6. In 2025 Arjun was fourth and Aravindh tenth.
The lower groups had Indian results too. Aditya Mittal was second in the 2026 Challengers and S.P. Sethuraman third in the 2026 Futures, and Abhijeet Gupta played the 2024 Challengers. No Indian player is on the organiser's 2027 lists yet. Rounds start at 3:30 PM IST, and in 2026 the last round started four hours earlier, at 11:30 AM IST.
UzChess Cup winners
| Year | Dates | Masters | Challengers | Futures | Open |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 6 to 14 June | Nodirbek Yakubboev (Uzbekistan), 5.5/9, first on tiebreak | Shamsiddin Vokhidov (Uzbekistan), 6.5/9 | Vitaly Sivuk (Sweden), 6/9, first on tiebreak | - |
| 2025 | 19 to 27 June | R Praggnanandhaa (India), 5.5/9, won the playoff | Nikolas Theodorou (Greece), 6.5/9 | Saparmyrat Atabayev (Turkmenistan), 6/9 | Bekhruz Umarov (Uzbekistan), 8/9 |
| 2026 | 7 to 15 June | Mukhiddin Madaminov (Uzbekistan), 5.5/9, won the playoff | Mahammad Muradli (Azerbaijan), 7.5/9 | Khumoyun Begmuratov (Uzbekistan), 7/9 | Timur Gareyev, 7.5/9, first on tiebreak |
Three editions have produced three different Masters winners, and two of them were the lowest-rated player in the field: Yakubboev in 2024 at 2634 and Madaminov in 2026 at 2586. Uzbek players have won two of the three Masters titles.
In 2024, Yakubboev edged out his countryman Abdusattorov on tiebreak after both scored 5.5/9. He did not lose a game and beat Vidit Gujrathi and Parham Maghsoodloo. The 2024 Masters also had Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, Alexander Grischuk, Yu Yangyi, Richard Rapport, Alexey Sarana and Javokhir Sindarov.
How to watch the UzChess Cup
In 2026 the Masters games were live on Lichess and on Chess.com. IM Tania Sachdev, IM Jovanka Houska and FM Shahzod Vakhidov hosted the live broadcasts, according to Chess.com. The UzChess YouTube channel has a playlist for the 2026 event. ChessBase ran a live page with the round times.
Rounds start at 15:00 in Tashkent, 3:30 PM IST, and the organiser lists the same start time for 2027. When a position from a live game catches your eye, paste it into the analysis board and look for the best move yourself.
UzChess Cup FAQ
When is the UzChess Cup 2027?
In June 2027 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. The organiser's site lists 10 to 20 June, with rounds at 15:00 local time (3:30 PM IST), but the dates are provisional: the venue and the full fields were not announced by 24 September 2026.
Who won the UzChess Cup 2026?
Mukhiddin Madaminov of Uzbekistan won the 2026 Masters. He and Shamsiddin Vokhidov both scored 5.5/9, and Madaminov won the blitz playoff 2-0. He was the lowest-rated player in the field and a late replacement for Javokhir Sindarov.
Who won the UzChess Cup 2025?
R Praggnanandhaa of India won the 2025 Masters. He, Javokhir Sindarov and Nodirbek Abdusattorov tied on 5.5/9, and Praggnanandhaa won the second of two blitz playoffs to take the title and $20,000.
What is the UzChess Cup?
It is a yearly chess festival in Tashkent, first played in 2024 and run by the Uzbekistan Chess Federation with support from FIDE. The top group, the Masters, is a 10-player round robin; the Challengers, Futures and an Open play at the same time.
What is the UzChess Cup format?
The Masters, Challengers and Futures are 10-player round robins of 9 rounds, one round a day with no rest day. In 2026 players got 90 minutes for 40 moves, then 30 more minutes, plus 30 seconds a move. A tie for first goes to a 3+2 blitz playoff.
What is the UzChess Cup prize money?
The prize fund was $121,500 for all four sections in both 2025 and 2026, and the Masters winner took $20,000. The first edition in 2024 had a fund of $166,000 and a first prize of $25,000.
How do players qualify for the UzChess Cup?
Places are by invitation: six foreign players and four Uzbek players per group under the 2025 rules. Each winner moves up a group the next year, so the Challengers winner gets a Masters place. Mahammad Muradli earned his 2027 Masters place this way.
Which Indian players have played the UzChess Cup?
R Praggnanandhaa won the 2025 Masters, where Arjun Erigaisi and Aravindh Chithambaram also played. Vidit Gujrathi played the Masters in 2024 and 2026, and Arjun again in 2026. Aditya Mittal was second in the 2026 Challengers and S.P. Sethuraman third in the 2026 Futures.
Who has won the UzChess Cup Masters?
Three players in three editions: Nodirbek Yakubboev in 2024, R Praggnanandhaa in 2025 and Mukhiddin Madaminov in 2026. Yakubboev and Madaminov were each the lowest-rated player in their field, and both won after a tie for first.
What are the UzChess Cup Challengers and Futures?
They are the second and third groups of the festival, also 10-player round robins. Their winners move up: the Challengers winner plays the next Masters and the Futures winner the next Challengers. The Open winner earns a Futures place.
Where can I watch the UzChess Cup?
The 2026 games were live on Lichess and Chess.com, and Tania Sachdev, Jovanka Houska and Shahzod Vakhidov hosted the live broadcasts. Rounds started at 3:30 PM IST, and the last round at 11:30 AM IST.
For more tournaments, with dates and venues, see the chess events calendar.
Facts on this page were checked on 24 September 2026 against the organiser's 2026 site and 2027 pages, the Chess-Results tables of the 2026 sections, FIDE's reports on the 2025 and 2026 winners, Chess.com reports from 2025 and 2026, ChessBase India and The Week in Chess.
