And the game begins, let’s go!
Nodirbek goes for the Caro–Kann! It’s one of the most solid defenses in chess, aiming to neutralize White’s early initiative and prepare for a battle of ideas in the middlegame.
By advancing his pawn, Mishra reinforces his central presence.
Nodirbek advances his pawn in the center, meeting Mishra head-on!
By developing his knight, Mishra defends the central pawn while enhancing control over key squares.
Nodirbek initiates a pawn trade in the center, aiming to relieve central tension.
By taking the pawn with his knight, Mishra not only recaptures material but also centralizes the piece.
Abdusattorov develops his knight toward the center, directly challenging Mishra’s centralized knight.
Instead of retreating or defending, Mishra exchanges his knight - a main line in theory.
Here, both pawn recaptures are possible and have been tested extensively. At the top level, however, recapturing with the central pawn is preferred more and that is exactly what Nodirbek chooses today.
Mishra advances his pawn to reinforce the center.
Abdusattorov develops his bishop to an active square, improving piece coordination while also preparing to castle kingside.
Mishra mirrors his opponent, developing his bishop to a natural square.
By castling kingside, Nodirbek removes his king from the center while bringing his rook into play.
Mishra develops his knight to a natural square, simultaneously preparing to castle kingside. This move improves piece activity while ensuring his king’s safety in the near future.
Nodirbek places his rook on the open e-file, contesting the key line in the center.
Mishra places his queen alongside the bishop, generating direct pressure on Nodirbek’s kingside pawn.
Nodirbek pushes his kingside pawn, defending it from attack while hinting at a flank advance.
Mishra tucks his king away on the kingside! A double-purpose move: his king is safe, and the knight is now free from the pin.
Nodirbek pushes his h-pawn forward, aiming to expand on the kingside.
Mishra pushes his kingside pawn, halting Nodirbek’s pawn advance. This move stops Abdusattorov from gaining more space and keeps the kingside structure under control.
Nodirbek brings his knight to a natural square, improving its activity and preparing for future maneuvers.
Mishra develops his dark-squared bishop, a natural move that also connects his rooks.
By repositioning his knight, Nodirbek frees his light-squared bishop while preparing the knight to either reinforce the kingside or aim for central squares.
Mishra swings his rook to the e-file, the only open file! Both players will be keen to contest it, and it could soon become the battleground for a decisive breakthrough.
Nodirbek shifts his bishop, at first glance a waiting move, but it’s also about harmony. With this, his pieces are better coordinated, and he clears the path for his queen to join the battle.
Mishra pushes his pawn forward, shutting down the dark-squared diagonal and limiting the scope of Nodirbek’s bishop and potentially his queen. A strong positional decision to restrict counterplay.
Nodirbek develops his queen as planned, bringing it into the game despite the closed diagonal.
Mishra advances his pawn, aiming to drive Nodirbek’s queen away and claim more space.
Nodirbek pushes his pawn, stopping Mishra’s pawn from advancing freely!
Mishra lifts his rook, a multi-purpose maneuver. This move opens the possibility of advancing his f-pawn, as it creates breathing room for his king.
Nodirbek develops his knight into the game, immediately pressuring Mishra’s central pawn. Mishra now must address this threat.
Mishra moves his bishop to reinforce his central pawn, maintaining a solid and intact center. This defensive move ensures his position remains stable while keeping options open for future activity.
Abdusattorov has spent roughly half an hour on this move - a critical juncture in the game. He just developed his bishop, connecting his rooks. Now it’s Mishra’s turn. And speaking of time, how do you manage it in your own games? Cast your vote in the poll!
After about 20 minutes of careful calculation, Mishra places his rook on the d-file, indirectly defending his d-pawn. This move also frees his knight to become more active, improving coordination and flexibility.
Abdusattorov makes a quiet pawn move that prevents Mishra from executing his knight maneuver.
Mishra had planned to create a discovered attack, but this pawn move neutralizes that idea, demonstrating precise prophylactic thinking.
Mishra pushes his pawn forward, aiming for a pawn break that directly attacks Abdusattorov’s queen.
Abdusattorov retreats his queen to a safe square, stepping out of Mishra’s pawn attack.
Mishra launches a pawn break on the kingside, aiming to open lines and create attacking opportunities. This move signals his intent to generate active play against Abdusattorov’s king.
Abdusattorov makes a blunder, giving Mishra the upper hand. This could be the turning point, will Mishra seize the advantage and press his attack?
Mishra trades his bishop for Abdusattorov’s knight, the most precise move in this position. This opens possibilities to either win a pawn or launch an attack. The game now favors Mishra, but careful play is still required.
Abdusattorov recaptures the piece with his pawn.
Mishra grabs a pawn on the kingside! With this extra material, he not only gains an advantage but also keeps pressure on Abdusattorov’s position.
Abdusattorov pushes his pawn forward, aiming to keep the f-file and the kingside closed. Even though he is a pawn down, his bishop pair, and he looks to generate counterplay from this solid structure.
Mishra makes a check too quickly, and this inaccuracy actually loses the advantage he had built. Abdusattorov is now back in the game, and the eval bar shows equality once again.
Abdusattorov moves his king to the safest square, simultaneously blocking Mishra’s g-pawn.
Mishra repositions his bishop, reinforcing the g-pawn while also threatening Abdusattorov’s rook. Despite the extra pawn for Mishra, Abdusattorov has sufficient compensation to maintain equality in the position.
📝 What is "compensation" in chess?
➡️ "Compensation" is when a player may be behind in material but gains something else in return - like active pieces, attacking chances, or a strong position. These advantages can balance the game or even create winning opportunities.
Abdusattorov moves his rook out of immediate attack and places it on the open d-file.
Mishra doubles his rooks on the f-file, increasing pressure on Abdusattorov’s f-pawn.
Instead of defending, Abdusattorov moves his queen, creating a potential check on Mishra’s king. Mishra now must be cautious, as tactical threats are emerging.
Mishra finds a strong defensive move, successfully neutralizing Abdusattorov’s threats. This also sets up the possibility of a queen trade, which could simplify the position and reduce tactical risks.
Abdusattorov looks to reposition his bishop to a new diagonal, improving its activity while simultaneously opening the file for his rook.
With the rook threatening the queen, Abdusattorov must choose between exchanging queens or keeping them on the board.
Abdusattorov decides to exchange queens, calming the tension and moving the game toward an endgame scenario. The balance is maintained, but the fight isn’t over yet!
Mishra recaptures with his pawn, the strongest choice among his three options. This supports a potential knight maneuver to the center, where it can become a powerful piece.
Abdusattorov has plenty of time on the clock, 27 minutes but Mishra is under pressure with less than 10 minutes left.
Mishra brings his knight to the center as planned.
Abdusattorov finds a bold move, sacrificing his rook.
Mishra responds with a rook sacrifice of his own. A brilliant move, the game becomes sharper and more tactical, yet the simplification keeps the position manageable.
Both players trade a pair of rooks and minor pieces!
Mishra places his rook on the d-file, directly attacking Abdusattorov’s central pawn.
Abdusattorov repositions his bishop to attack Mishra’s g-pawn.
Mishra executes a fork and captures a pawn. Abdusattorov is now on the defensive, and precise play will be needed to hold the position.
The position has simplified into a rook endgame. Mishra has a pawn advantage, but the eval bar keeps the position stable. Abdusattorov needs to defend accurately, relying on his active king and rook, for counterplay.
Mishra swings his rook to attack the pawn and clear the road for his passed pawn!
They say the best way to contain a passed pawn is to attack it from behind, and that’s exactly what Abdusattorov is attempting with this check.
Mishra responds to the check by moving his king.
Abdusattorov positions his rook behind Mishra’s passed pawn, a classical endgame strategy. By attacking from behind, he limits the pawn’s mobility and increases defensive chances.
Mishra pushes his passed pawn forward, supported by his rook.
We’ve reached move 40, and both players receive an additional 50 minutes on the clock. This gives them ample time to carefully navigate the complexities of the endgame and make precise decisions.
Mishra brings his king toward the center, also heading towards his passed pawn. Accurate defensive moves are required from Abdusattorov.
By retreating his king, Abdusattorov controls key squares and shoulders Mishra’s king. A precise defensive move!
Mishra pushes his a-pawn forward!
By moving his king to the center, Abdusattorov maximizes its influence, controlling key squares and preparing to respond to Mishra’s advancing pawns.
Mishra captures Abdusattorov’s a-pawn, simultaneously creating a new passed pawn on the a-file.
Before the pawn capture, Abdusattorov plays an in-between check, forcing Mishra’s king to move further back.
Mishra moves his king out of check.
Mishra places his rook behind the passed pawn, a textbook endgame strategy. This maximizes the pawn’s potential while keeping it protected.
Abdusattorov finds the only move that keeps the position equal! By blocking Mishra’s passed pawn, he prevents its immediate advancement and maintains balance in the endgame.
Mishra plays a waiting move, testing Abdusattorov’s defense.
With another precise move, Abdusattorov maintains equality. His defensive play so far has been flawless, leaving Mishra no real chances.
Mishra is still testing, still searching for that tiny crack in Abdusattorov’s defense. But if Abdusattorov stays precise, this endgame looks destined for a draw. One mistake, however, could change everything!
What an exciting battle on board 3 in Round 8 of the FIDE Grand Swiss 2025, as Abhimanyu Mishra and Nodirbek Abdusattorov played out a 69 move draw in the Caro Kann Defense.
Both young stars showed immense fighting spirit, each determined to climb closer to the top. The game had it all: an intriguing opening, a sharp and dynamic middlegame, and finally, a long, precise endgame.
But it wasn’t always balanced. In the middlegame, Abdusattorov slipped with a critical blunder, giving Mishra a window of opportunity to take over. However, the youngest-ever GM couldn’t capitalize, and in trying too hard, allowed Nodirbek to equalize the position. From there, the game became a showcase of accuracy and defensive resourcefulness.
The tension carried into a rook endgame, where Abdusattorov had to defend a pawn-down ending. Mishra pressed hard, testing him to the very last moves, but the Uzbek star held firm and defended perfectly to secure the half-point.
A draw may be the result, but the game was a rich, instructive fight - full of tactics, ideas, and courage from both sides.
We move on to Round 9 tomorrow, with just three rounds left in this tournament. Remember, only the top two finishers punch their ticket to the 2026 Candidates Tournament. Every game counts, see you tomorrow, same time!
🎙️ Welcome back to the FIDE Grand Swiss 2025, the tournament is heating up as we head into Round 8, and on board 3 we have an exciting clash:
🔹 Abhimanyu Mishra 🇺🇸 vs. Nodirbek Abdusattorov 🇺🇿
Both players come in unbeaten so far. Mishra, the youngest grandmaster in history, held his own with a solid draw against Giri in Round 7, showing once again that he belongs among the very best. Abdusattorov, meanwhile, thrilled the home crowd here in Samarkand with a big win over Tabatabaei, keeping his momentum alive.
It’s a matchup of contrasts: Mishra, the rising star with nerves of steel, against Abdusattorov, the local hero and crowd favorite, who carries the energy of his nation behind him. Both are fighting for a Candidates spot, and neither will want to give in.
Who will thrive under the spotlight today, the fearless youngster or the hometown star?
Make your prediction by clicking on "Summary" and stay tuned as we bring you live, exciting commentary from this big game on board 3!