V.I.Romanovskiy Institute of Mathematics, Uzbekistan Academy of Sciences

Intense Chess Battles at the Institute: Samandar Babayev Defends His Championship Title

📅 April 8, 2026, 2:11 p.m.

A chess tournament was recently held among the staff of the Institute. Participants were divided into two groups of six, competing in a round-robin format to determine the finalists.

Tournament Highlights: From Group A, Gulmurod Urazmatov (5 points), Samandar Babayev (4 points), Muhriddin Homidov (4 points), and Davrbek Oltiboyev (3.5 points) advanced to the semi-finals. The semi-finals brought a major upset as G. Urazmatov, who dominated the group stage, was defeated by D. Oltiboyev. In the second pair, S. Babayev secured his place in the grand final.

The final match was highly competitive. Despite a strong performance by Davrbek Oltiboyev, Samandar Babayev emerged victorious, successfully defending his status as the Institute's chess champion.

Masterclass and Psychological Edge: One of the highlights of the event was a special masterclass conducted by Professor R.R. Ashurov. His opponent, M. Homidov, despite a strong start in the early rounds, struggled to maintain his momentum after the challenging session with the Professor, illustrating the significant impact of psychological endurance in chess.

At the conclusion of the tournament, the finalists were honored with commemorative gifts and prizes.