Sports Digest: Khusanov, chess victories, and more in Uzbek sports

The past week was full of good news and some bad news for Uzbek sports. For example, a famous Uzbek MMA fighter got into a car accident, and the fight of Bakhodir Jalolov was canceled for a very funny reason. At the same time, the week was remembered for the high results of Uzbek chess players in international arenas and, of course, the registration of Abdukadir Khusanov for the UEFA Champions League matches, which is still trending.

We will talk about these topics today in QALAMPIR.UZ's sports digest.

Guardiola Preferred Khusanov to Reyes

“Manchester City” officially transferred its new players from the Champions League roster. This was reported by the publication “One Football”.

According to the source, the “city” players Abdukadir Khusanov, Omar Marmush, and Nico Gonzalez, who were brought to the team in January, have been removed from the Champions League roster. The team’s coach Pep Guardiola has decided to register Uzbek player Abdukadir Khusanov over Brazilian center-back Vitor Reis.

For information, Manchester City will play against Real Madrid in the Champions League play-off match. The match will be held at the Etihad Stadium on the night of February 12.

The Prize Fund Defeated Uzbek Chess Player Carlsen in a Tournament Worth $750 Thousand

On February 7, the prestigious “Freestyle Chess Grand Slam” chess tournament kicked off in Weissenhaus, Germany.

Uzbek grandmaster Javohir Sindorov, who is participating in the tournament, defeated the famous Norwegian chess player Magnus Carlsen in the 5th round with the black pieces and became one of the leaders of the tournament.

So far, Sindorov has accumulated 4.5 points in 5 opportunities. American Fabiano Caruana has the same number of points.

It is noteworthy that Sindorov drew with the current world champion from India, Gukesh Dommaraju, in the 4th round of the tournament.

In addition to Sindorov, another Uzbek grandmaster, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, is also participating in the tournament. After 5 rounds, Abdusattorov has 2.5 points and is currently Nodirbek in 4th place in the tournament standings.

For your information, the tournament will continue until February 14. The prize fund of the tournament is 750 thousand US dollars.

Abdusattorov Wins Prestigious Tournament

Uzbek chess player Nodirbek Abdusattorov became one of the winners of the traditional “Tata Steel Chess” chess tournament hosted by the Dutch city of Wijk aan Zee. This was reported by the tournament press service.

In the last 13th round of the tournament, which ended yesterday, February 2, Abdusattorov played against Indian Pentala Harikrishna with white pieces, drew, and finished the tournament in 3rd place with 8 points.

In the “Masters” group, 1st and 2nd places went to Indian grandmasters Gukesh Dommaraju and Rameshbabu Pragnandha. Both Indian chess players managed to score 8.5 points in 13 rounds.

Nodirbek Yakubbayev, who participated in the “Challenger” group, finished the tournament in 4th place. Having scored 8 points in 13 rounds, Yakubbayev was 0.5 points short of entering the top three. The victory in this group went to the Czech representative Van Nguyen. Nguyen managed to score 9.5 points in 13 rounds.

Yakubbayev did not shake Rameshbabu Vaishali's hand according to the rules of chess before the match, and this incident caused discussions.

Nodirbek Abdusattorov's position in the updated FIDE rating has not changed. The World Chess Federation (FIDE) has announced an updated rating for January. 5 Uzbek chess players have taken places in this rating.

Nodirbek Abdusattorov took 6th place in this rating, having scored 2766 points. His previous position was also similar. This month, Abdusattorov's rating points decreased by 2. The previous one was 2768 points. Javohir Sindorov rose to 31st place. His position last month was 37th. Sindorov increased his rating points to 2700. In the ranking of the strongest chess players, Rustam Qosimjonov is in 46th place with 2681 points. Shamsiddin Vohidov, who has 2760 points, took 52nd place. Nodirbek Yakubboev, who was in 67th place last month, fell to 68th place this month with 2659 points.

Jalolov's Fight Canceled Due to a Tear in His Lip

The fight of Uzbek professional boxer Bakhodir Jalolov against Frenchman David Spielmont, scheduled for the morning of February 7, has been canceled. This was announced by the Secretary General of the Boxing Federation of Uzbekistan, Shohid Tillaboyev, on his Instagram page.

Tillaboyev said that Jalolov failed to pass the pre-fight medical examination. The fact is that medical experts did not allow Jalolov to fight due to a tear in his lip.

It is noted that Jalolov may soon fight in another tournament. There is also a possibility that the Jalolov-Spilmont fight will be held in Uzbekistan.

For information, Jalolov has had 14 fights in his professional career, all of which he won by knockout. His last fight was in 2023 when he defeated South African Chris Thompson in the first round at a boxing event in Tashkent. Spielmont had his last fight in 2024 when he knocked out Artem Charniakevich in the 4th round.

A Famous MMA Fighter from Uzbekistan Got into a Car Accident

Uzbek MMA fighter Shohasan Mirzamatov in the welterweight category was in a car accident. This was reported by the QALAMPIR.UZ source. According to the source, the accident occurred about 4 5 days ago in the Andijan region and he is currently in the hospital.

Shohasan Mirzamatov was supposed to fight Georgy Kichigin for the championship on February 23 of this year at the Octagon 70 tournament in Almaty, Kazakhstan. However, this fight was canceled due to injuries sustained by Mirzamatov in a car accident.

For information, Shohasan Mirzamatov has fought 18 fights during his professional career, recording 14 wins and 4 losses. Kichigin has 31 wins and 10 losses.