The Two Nodirbeks Keep Uzbekistan Perfect Through Seven Rounds
By Cameron W. · Wed, 23 Sep 2026
Round seven pitted the Open section's top two teams directly against each other, and Uzbekistan didn't blink. Beating China 3-1, the hosts pushed their record to a perfect 7-0-0 and opened up a lead big enough that even a loss next round wouldn't cost them top spot outright.
Round seven pitted the Open section's top two teams directly against each other, and Uzbekistan didn't blink. Beating China 3-1, the hosts pushed their record to a perfect 7-0-0 and opened up a lead big enough that even a loss next round wouldn't cost them top spot outright.The Nodirbeks do it againUzbekistan's win came down to its two board leaders sharing a surname rather than a fanbase nickname by accident. Nodirbek Abdusattorov beat Ding Liren, and Nodirbek Yakubboev beat Yu Yangyi, the two decisive results in an otherwise even match. With 14 match points from seven rounds, Uzbekistan now leads the field by a full two points, the Netherlands, Azerbaijan, and Armenia are the closest challengers on 12, with China and France just behind on 11.The Women's section finally has no one left standing perfectIf the Open section just got clearer, the Women's section got messier in the opposite direction. China and Kazakhstan, the tournament's last two unbeaten teams, drew 2-2 with each other, meaning nobody in the Women's field has a perfect record anymore. Five teams are now bunched within a single point of the lead: top seed India, who beat Germany 3.5-0.5, second seed Georgia, who beat Poland 2.5-1.5, and three federations that pulled off genuine upsets, Bulgaria over Ukraine, Armenia over Azerbaijan, and Mongolia over France.A rematch of sorts at the top of the chasing packGeorgia's win over Poland carries a bit of history behind it. Poland had been one of the Women's section's earlier giant-killers, beating India back in round five, while Georgia had done the same to host nation Uzbekistan in round six. Watching two teams that had each already knocked off a bigger name meet each other, with Georgia coming out on top, is exactly the kind of result that keeps a wide-open section wide open rather than letting anyone consolidate.India's women keep answering every setback immediatelyIndia's 3.5-0.5 win over Germany continues a pattern that's held since round five: every time India's women have dropped points, they've responded with a big win the very next round. It's kept them squarely in the mix despite never quite pulling away themselves.The Americans are closing in from a section overTeam USA moved to within two match points of the Women's section lead with a 3-1 win over Switzerland, IM Carissa Yip beating GM Alexandra Kosteniuk on top board. It's a reminder that the group within touching distance of the lead extends beyond the five teams that actually won this round.What to watch in round eightUzbekistan's cushion means the Open section's real drama now sits just behind the leader, among the group of five teams separated by a single point. The Women's section, having just shed its last perfect record, looks likely to stay unpredictable for a while yet, with genuine contenders still taking turns beating each other rather than pulling clear.