Uzbek GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov commented on his victory against Gukesh in the 5th round of the Prague International Chess Festival 2026. Abdusattorov talks about how he nearly lost his advantage, how he managed to win, and notes the complexity of the game.

Nodirbek Abdusattorov

Nodirbek Abdusattorov

Uzbekistan's No. 1

“It was a completely crazy game. In the opening, as it turned out, he was very well prepared. Black had absolutely no problems. But he decided to go for more…

Closer to the 40th move, I started to outplay him. And when we passed the 40th move, I thought my position was objectively winning, but what I did next was simply insane. I went into that queen endgame with opposite-colored bishops, which, I think, just threw away all the advantage.

After that, objectively, it was equal, but I kept pushing. In the end, he was running out of time, and he panicked.

I really liked today’s game — it was very complex, messy, and tough!”

The Prague International Chess Festival 2026 takes place in the Czech Republic from February 25 to March 6. Uzbek GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov (2771) took 3rd place in the Challengers group in 2022, and became the Champion in the Masters group in 2024.

Credit: Petr Vrabec/Prague International Chess Festival