Samarkand at the break: favourites, surprises and four games to replay

There is no round today, but plenty to watch. After six of eleven rounds, Uzbekistan leads the Open on its own, while China and Kazakhstan lead the Women’s section. The favourites have not built an uncatchable advantage: five rounds remain, and the restart brings direct clashes between leading teams.

This is our snapshot for the September 22 rest day, with four games selected for an unhurried replay. Round seven starts on September 23 at noon in Serbia (CEST), or 3pm in Samarkand. Organizer’s schedule

Open: Uzbekistan leads, China and Armenia closest

Uzbekistan has 12 match points from six wins. The hosts beat India 2½:1½ in round six: Yakubboev defeated Nihal Sarin, while the other three games were drawn. China beat Germany 3:1, with wins by Ding Liren and Xu Xiangyu. Round-six results

The leaders and main favourites at the break:

• Uzbekistan: 12 match points, 1st. The only Open team yet to drop a match point.
• China and Armenia: 11 each, 2nd and 3rd. Both have five wins and a draw.
• India: 10, 7th. Its first match defeat came against the hosts.
• USA: 10, 14th. The top seed beat Norway 2½:1½ in round six but remains two match points behind the leader.

Fourth to fourteenth looks like a wide spread, but all eleven teams in that group have 10 match points. Tiebreaks determine their order. The USA’s current placing therefore does not mean it is out of contention. Standings after six rounds

Women: China and Kazakhstan still perfect

China and Kazakhstan each have six wins and 12 match points. China leads on tiebreaks, with 20½/24 board points, while Kazakhstan is second with 18½/24. China beat Poland 3½:½ in round six, and Kazakhstan defeated Azerbaijan 2½:1½. Results · Standings

Top seed India has 10 match points and sits third, having beaten the USA 3:1 before the break. Second seed Georgia also has 10 points and remains unbeaten, but two draws leave it tenth. The USA’s women are fourteenth with nine points.

One individual score stands out: Savitha Shri B has won all five of her games. Her Indian teammate Vantika Agrawal has 4½/5, showing how much the lower boards can contribute to a team result. India’s squad and scores

Teams exceeding their seeding

Türkiye is sixth in the Open, having started as the 14th seed. Bulgaria is eleventh from a starting seed of 28, and Uzbekistan’s second team is thirteenth from 30th. All three have 10 match points; Uzbekistan 2 beat Spain 2½:1½ in round six. Standings · Results

In the Women’s section, Switzerland is sixth and unbeaten, with four wins and two draws, from a starting seed of 17. Estonia, seeded 41st, reaches the break in fifteenth with nine match points. Women’s standings

Where Serbia stands

Both Serbian teams have nine match points, with four wins, one draw and one defeat. The men are 21st with 15/24 board points, and the women 16th with 17/24. These are the current positions after tiebreaks, not a final assessment of the event. Open standings · Women’s standings

A three-point gap to the leaders is significant, but Serbia is only one point behind the large group on ten. Putting together another run of match wins is the priority. Our round-six report has the latest results and all eight replay boards.

Four games for the rest day

These are our replay picks, not an official best-games ranking. We chose contrasting types of play and games that mattered to their team matches. All four boards appear below, in this order:

1. Nodirbek Yakubboev - Nihal Sarin, round 6. Board three of Uzbekistan - India. The sharp middlegame and the game’s role in the fight for the lead make it a compelling replay. Game
2. Ding Liren - Vincent Keymer, round 6. Board one of China - Germany. Follow the active pieces and advancing endgame pawns, particularly on the kingside. Game
3. Alua Nurman - Gunay Mammadzada, round 6. Board two of Kazakhstan - Azerbaijan in the Women’s section. Fewer pieces do not mean fewer problems: watch the pawn structure and the space available to the minor pieces. Game
4. Wei Yi - Aleksandar Inđić, round 4. We return to a game from Serbia - China that we have already highlighted. Whatever your team loyalties, the coordination of White’s pieces deserves another look. Game

What to watch over the remaining five rounds

The restart immediately brings Uzbekistan - China in the Open. Armenia faces the USA, and England plays India. In the Women’s section, China meets Kazakhstan, bringing together the two teams with perfect records. These round-seven team pairings are confirmed; individual line-ups are still pending. Open pairings · Women’s pairings

Beyond the leaders’ direct encounters, watch which teams on ten points can string wins together and how often the lower boards decide matches. There is enough chess left for the order to change substantially. Rounds 7–10 start at noon in Serbia; the final round on September 27 starts at 8am CEST. Official schedule