Nodirbek goes for the solid and symmetrical Four Knights Defense, keeping the position balanced.
Duda brings his bishop into play, subtly increasing the pressure on Nodirbek’s central pawn.
With this bishop move, Nodirbek reinforces his central pawn.
Duda pushes his pawn forward, unlocking the diagonal for his dark-squared bishop.
Abdusattorov brings his king to the kingside, securing safety.
Duda also castles kingside, keeping his king safe.
Nodirbek retreats his bishop, a flexible move that also sets the stage for advancing his d-pawn!
Duda retreats his bishop, preventing Nodirbek’s central pawn break and keeping control of the center.
Nodirbek advances his d-pawn, opening the diagonal for his light-squared bishop.
Duda stops Nodirbek’s bishop from reaching a key square, where it could have created an annoying pin against his knight.
Nodirbek develops his bishop, eyeing Duda’s bishop directly while also preparing for a central pawn break.
Duda exchanges his light-squared bishop for Nodirbek’s, simplifying the position and shifting the battle to other pieces.
Nodirbek takes back with his rook, avoiding doubled pawns and keeping his structure intact.
Duda places his knight in the center, boosting its activity and control over key squares.
Nodirbek retreats his knight, repositioning it to directly challenge Duda’s centralized knight.
Duda achieves a central pawn break, opening the position and sharpening the battle in the middle of the board.
Nodirbek exchanges pawns, leaving the question of how Duda will choose to recapture.
Duda takes back with his knight, which now commands a powerful post, influencing many key squares across the board.
Nodirbek repositions his knight, bringing it closer to the kingside and gearing up for future action there.
A precise move from Duda halts Nodirbek’s central pawn break, giving him more space and a slight advantage.
Nodirbek moves his knight to the center, putting direct pressure on Duda’s c-pawn.
Duda repositions his queen to protect his pawn, while also connecting his rooks for better coordination.
Nodirbek makes a daring move, generating play on the kingside while preparing to activate his bishop through a fianchetto.
After 15 minutes of thought, Duda plays an inaccuracy. His rook might have been more effective on the kingside.
Nodirbek fianchettos his bishop, bringing it into play and increasing pressure across the board.
Duda directs his pieces toward the center and prepares for upcoming clashes.
Nodirbek repositions his knight, simultaneously opening the long diagonal for his bishop and increasing his influence.
Duda challenges Nodirbek’s bishop on the long diagonal.
Nodirbek pushes his knight forward, putting Duda’s queen under immediate pressure.
The eval bar remains balanced, but Duda faces time pressure with just 10 minutes compared to Nodirbek’s 25 minutes.
Nodirbek captures a pawn, gaining material.
Duda plays the best move, temporarily sacrificing a pawn to keep the position closed, forcing Nodirbek onto the defensive to protect his pawns.
Just when the position looked balanced, Nodirbek makes a decisive mistake, swinging the momentum.
Duda unleashes a brilliant idea! Nodirbek’s undefended queen is now vulnerable, and a pin is incoming!
Nodirbek accepts the knight sacrifice, looking visibly shocked as he realizes the tactic he overlooked.
Duda sets up a pin on Nodirbek’s knight, executing a clever tactical idea.
Abdusattorov is left with a position full of weaknesses, making defense an uphill battle.
With an extra pawn in hand, Duda secures a significant advantage on the board.
Nodirbek swings his rook, creating a dangerous back rank threat against Duda.
Duda retreats his rook to defense, calmly keeping everything under control.
We’ve reached the second time control at move 40, giving both players an additional 30 minutes to navigate the remaining game.
Duda focuses on Nodirbek’s weak e-pawn!
Nodirbek safeguards his e-pawn, maintaining his defensive stance for now.
Duda trades queens, smoothly transitioning into a rook endgame with a winning advantage.
Duda aims to win another pawn or force Nodirbek’s rook into a passive defensive position.
Nodirbek keeps battling, though it appears there’s little left to play for in this endgame.
Round 7 saw Jan-Krzysztof Duda claim his first victory of the tournament, defeating Nodirbek Abdusattorov in a hard fought battle.
The game opened with the Four Knights Game, quickly developing into a positional struggle with an imbalanced pawn structure. Both players navigated the opening and middlegame carefully, probing for weaknesses while maintaining overall balance. For much of the game, it looked like a draw was inevitable.
But then came the turning point: Nodirbek made a careless blunder, and Duda unleashed a brilliant tactical sequence, immediately gaining a decisive advantage. He secured a pawn and smoothly transitioned into a winning rook endgame, where precise play ensured he converted his advantage into a full point!
We’re into the second half of the 2025 Sinquefield Cup, and in Round 7, Jan-Krzysztof Duda takes on Nodirbek Abdusattorov.
Both players have fought hard but are still searching for their first win of the tournament.
Duda comes in after a steady draw against Praggnanandhaa, while Nodirbek split the point with MVL in Round 6. Though the results haven’t gone their way so far, both remain dangerous opponents, capable of sparking the board to life at any moment.