Nodirbek Abdusattorov wins three straight titles after dropping Candidates quest

Nodirbek Abdusattorov wins three elite events in a row after ending his Candidates chase

Nodirbek Abdusattorov just capped the most consistent streak of his career by sweeping three elite chess titles in two months: and he did it only after he stopped caring about the Candidates.

The Uzbek grandmaster finished unbeaten to take the Prague Masters in late October, then followed it with victory at the Tata Steel Masters in Wijk aan Zee in January and the London Chess Classic in December. All three came after Abdusattorov failed to qualify for the 2025 FIDE Candidates Tournament, a goal that had dominated his 2025 calendar from the Grand Swiss to the World Cup in Goa.

How dropping the Candidates unlocked his best form

Abdusattorov admitted the weight of the Candidates race had weighed on him all year. “Last year was tough for me. I really wanted to qualify for the Candidates, and I felt pressured by that,” he told Sportstar on the eve of the Chennai Grand Masters.

After he lost his final qualification route at the World Cup in Goa, the pressure vanished. “After failing in the World Cup, I lost all my chances to qualify. After that, I stopped caring about results. I just started to enjoy the process and enjoy the game. My results drastically improved.”

A coaching change and a calmer mindset

The turnaround also came with a coaching overhaul. Last September, Abdusattorov switched to a two-coach setup he has not named because of private agreements. He credits the new team with steadying his play when positions turn sour.

“Even when I’m in trouble, when I have worse positions during the game, I become more stable and more resilient,” he said. “I became psychologically more stable and more experienced.”

Chennai lessons: controlled risk over safety

At the Chennai Grand Masters, Abdusattorov carries that calm into an eight-player, seven-round fight where one bad result can end a title bid. He took that idea into May’s TePe Sigeman in Malmö, where he finished with one win and six draws while Magnus Carlsen and Arjun Erigaisi gambled their way to the play-off.

“They played risky openings. At moments, they gambled a little bit,” Abdusattorov said. “If your gamble works, you get rewarded. You should take more risks when there are fewer rounds. It is also important not to lose because it drastically drops your chances.”

Uzbekistan’s Olympiad gold team gears up for Samarkand rematch

Chennai also stirs memories of 2022, when a teenage Abdusattorov led Uzbekistan to Olympiad gold on top board. Four years later, that same core will chase another title on home soil: this time in Samarkand.

The squad, which includes Candidates winner Javokhir Sindarov, Nodirbek Yakubboev and Shamsiddin Vokhidov with Mukhiddin Madaminov as reserve, has already held multiple training camps in Uzbekistan. “Our nation, our people will cheer for us,” Abdusattorov said. “We understand that there will be a lot of pressure, and the expectations are very high. But I think we are ready for this challenge.”