Uzbek Grandmaster Abdusattorov among top finishers at Tata Steel Chess

Uzbek chess grandmaster Nodirbek Abdusattorov secured a top-three finish at the prestigious Tata Steel Chess tournament, held in Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands. The tournament's press service reported his achievement.

In the final 13th round of the tournament, which concluded on February 2, Abdusattorov played with white pieces against Indian grandmaster Pentala Harikrishna. Their match ended in a draw, bringing Abdusattorov's total score to 8 points and securing him third place in the Masters group.

The top two spots in the Masters group were claimed by Indian grandmasters Gukesh Dommaraju and Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa, who both finished with 8.5 points in 13 rounds.

Another Uzbek chess player, Nodirbek Yakubboev, competed in the Challengers group and finished in fourth place. He earned 8 points in 13 rounds, falling just 0.5 points short of the top three. The tournament's Challengers group was won by Czech grandmaster Van Nguyen, who scored 9.5 points.

Earlier in the tournament, Yakubboev was involved in a controversy when he did not shake hands with Indian grandmaster Rameshbabu Vaishali before a match. While his actions followed the official chess rules, the incident sparked discussions. Yakubboev later apologized to Vaishali for the unpleasant situation.