Games

The second round of the UzChess Cup 2026 Masters offered no respite for the faint-hearted, as all five games ended decisively. For India, the day brought mixed fortunes as Arjun Erigaisi roared back after a draw in the opening round to claim his first win, toppling Nodirbek Yakubboev, while Vidit Gujrathi endured another crushing defeat, falling this time to former two-time Candidates champion Ian Nepomniachtchi. Yakubboev has strong credentials and is one of the stronger players hailing from an extremely talented player pool in Uzbekistan. He was a semifinalist at the FIDE World Cup 2025, just one win away from locking in his spot at the Candidates. He eventually finished fourth and was one of the nearly men of the event. In an English game, both Yakubboev and Arjun ventured deep into a fairly complex middle game that saw only two exchanges: a pawn and a knight trade in the first 22 moves. Both players bled more than an hour on the clock and reached an exciting but equal position with similar time remaining. This is where Arjun made his only mistake in the game by pushing the f-file pawn to f4, allowing the Uzbek to trade pieces and win an extra pawn. However, Yakubboev neutralised his advantage by mistiming his own pawn push, which allowed Arjun to win back a pawn. The position was roughly equal, and this is where the Indian started to press. With the clock bleeding down, Yakubboev began making questionable moves and went for exchanges that shifted the momentum in Arjun’s favour. Under mounting time pressure, the Uzbek completely lost his way and resigned in a losing position after 36 moves. For Vidit, Monday did not bring a change of fortune as he lost his second game in a row after beginning his campaign with a crushing loss to Shakhriyar Mamedyarov. It was literal chaos on the board in the Vidit vs Nepomniachtchi clash. Wielding the black pieces in a Nimzo Indian game, both Vidit and Nepo played with considerably low accuracy and allowed each other to come back into the game multiple times. What Nepomniachtchi did well was to put pressure on Vidit by playing fast and forcing him to bleed a lot of time on the clock, an issue that has troubled the Indian many times. The Russian was over an hour up on the clock against Vidit, who had just a little over three minutes compared to Nepomniachtchi’s one hour and seven minutes after the 29th move. By this time, Nepomniachtchi had an almost completely winning position at plus 3.72 and was looking to end the game then and there. Little did he know that the game had over 50 more moves left. He allowed Vidit to fight back, and the game swindled both ways multiple times, with Vidit having many opportunities to hold Nepomniachtchi to a draw. But to his misfortune, he failed to defend an endgame featuring a rook pair and a bishop against white’s queen and knight. When the game finally ended after 83 moves, the Russian had one hour and 19 minutes on his clock. Madaminov in sole lead The biggest surprise of the event has been Mukhiddin Madaminov. The 11th hour replacement for Javokhir Sindarov, for whom he works as a second, Madaminov has proved he belongs to the big boys’ club after the first two rounds. After taking down Nepomniachtchi in the opening round, Madaminov registered his second straight win by beating Greek GM Nikolas Theodorou to move into the sole lead with two points from two rounds. Trailing him are Uzbek number one Nodirbek Abdusattorov and Arjun, both on 1.5 points. Just like Arjun, Abdusattorov won his first game of the event as he outplayed Mamedyarov with the white pieces. Hans Niemann also bounced back after a loss to Theodorou by defeating Shamsiddin Vokhidov to register his first points.

For nearly two decades, Portugal’s football story has been told through Cristiano Ronaldo’s lens. Every major tournament has carried the same question: Can Ronaldo carry Portugal once again? As the 2026 FIFA World Cup approaches, that question still remains. The 41-year-old is still the face of Portuguese football, still the player fans come to watch. But for perhaps the first time in his international career, Portugal’s hopes may depend less on the man finishing THE moves and more on the players creating them around him. Somewhere behind Ronaldo, scanning the pitch before receiving the ball, will be 26-year-old midfielder Vítor Machado Ferreira, better known as Vitinha. Born in Santo Tirso, northern Portugal, Vitinha was introduced to football by his father, Vítor Manuel, a former professional player. Yet the game was never forced on him, allowing him to develop at his own pace. He is not the captain. He is not their biggest star. But over the last two years, he has quietly become one of Portugal’s most important players. A quick look over the shoulder. A pass played with perfect weight. A small run into space to escape pressure. Suddenly, Portugal are moving forward again. It is football’s least visible work, but also one of its most important. Vitinha’s biggest strength is not goals or assists, but control. Analysts often call him a “metronome” because he decides when Portugal speed up and when they slow down. In modern football, where attention is fixed on goals and statistics, he stands out for making the team function better as a unit. He operates as a deep-lying playmaker, similar to players like Andrea Pirlo or Toni Kroos, dictating games from deep areas rather than advanced positions. Most of his work is simple on the surface, but crucial in shaping how the team plays. When Paris Saint-Germain signed him in 2022, the club was still driven by big names like Lionel Messi, Neymar, and Kylian Mbappé. Vitinha arrived with little attention and had a difficult start. He was young, adapting to a new league, and competing in a squad full of established stars. At first, opportunities were limited, and he had to wait for his chance. The turning point came under Luis Enrique. As PSG moved away from relying on individuals and became a more balanced team, Vitinha grew into one of the most important players in the squad. The Spaniard trusted him to control midfield phases. “Vitinha is very important for us. He has a significant role. Vitinha adapts well to everything we ask of him. He has immense technical ability,” Enrique said before the Champions League final. Under Roberto Martínez, Portugal have also become more comfortable keeping the ball against top opposition. Vitinha’s calm style fits this approach perfectly, allowing attackers to stay higher and focus on creating chances.