Serbia’s reserves in Samarkand: Bojan’s win against Cuba and Sofia’s run

Bojan Maksimović’s 3½/6 and Sofia Pogorelskikh’s 6½/8 open our board-by-board review of Serbia in Samarkand. Their tournaments followed different rhythms: after his early appearances, Bojan returned for the last two rounds, while Sofia followed the rest day with four wins and a draw. Both gave us games worth revisiting.

Both were fifth in the final registered squad order, the reserve slot. Whenever selected for the four-player line-up, they played on board four. That is why our series begins with them; Velimir Ivić and Jovana Srdanović, fourth in the registered lists, will follow. Open squad · Women’s squad

Our reserves’ results

Final results from the tournament that ended on 27 September 2026, checked on 29 September. The percentage is points scored divided by games played.

Bojan’s official results · Sofia’s official results

Sofia had the highest scoring percentage in Serbia’s Women’s team; Elif Mehmed’s 7/10 was the largest points total. Opponents also matter: Sofia started with the higher rating in seven of her eight games, Bojan in four of six. Percentages describe their scores, but cannot by themselves rank the contributions made on different boards.

Bojan Maksimović: the win against Cuba stands out

Bojan Maksimović began with a win against South Sudan and a draw against Turkmenistan. After sitting out round three, he lost to Kong Xiangrui and beat Ermes Espinosa Veloz. That response against Cuba was the highlight of his tournament: alongside Predke’s win and two draws, it helped Serbia take the match 3:1.

He sat out rounds six to nine, then returned with two draws. Against Lithuania, his half-point contributed to a 2½:1½ win; against Azerbaijan, he drew with Black against Eltaj Safarli, his highest-rated opponent of the tournament at 2616.

All of Bojan’s games

Final record, 27 September 2026. Points are from Bojan’s perspective; opponents’ names follow the broadcast spelling. Results source

Our pick to replay: Maksimović - Espinosa Veloz, round five. The Trompowsky Attack quickly produces an unusual position: Bojan castles queenside, then captures a bishop on b2 with his king on move ten. Watch how he develops his pieces and brings a rook to d6 on move 25. Open the game on Lichess

The queen exchange does not end the struggle. In the endgame, Bojan has rook and bishop against rook, while the pawn that started on g2 reaches h7 via h6. The final move, 59.Rxg3, removes Black’s passed pawn. Our choice brings together an interesting fight, endgame technique and a full point in an important team win.

Sofia Pogorelskikh: four wins after the rest day

Sofia Pogorelskikh started with 2/2 against Madagascar and Scotland, then sat out the next three rounds. Her return against Türkiye brought her only defeat. After the rest day came the sequence we will remember most: Cuba, Belarus, France and Italy, four consecutive wins, followed by a draw against Austria for 6½/8 overall.

Those points had a direct impact on the team’s results. Against Cuba, Sofia and Teodora Injac supplied two wins for 2:2. Against Belarus, wins by Sofia and Elif Mehmed contributed to a 2½:1½ victory; against Italy, the same pair scored full points to secure 2:2. Sofia was also Serbia’s only winner in the 1½:2½ loss to France.

All of Sofia’s games

Final record, 27 September 2026. Points are from Sofia’s perspective. Results source

Our first pick: Pogorelskikh - Schippke, round nine. The Winawer Variation of the French Defence brings sharp pawn exchanges, but the queens leave the board as early as move 14. A second story then develops: Sofia’s h-pawn advances with support from her rooks. Open the game on Lichess

After 26.h7, the black rook on h8 is tied to the promotion square. Sofia doubles her rooks on the h-file, later transferring one via the g-file to f3. The finish, 48...Bxh7 49.Bxf6, shows that removing the dangerous pawn has not solved all of Black’s problems. We chose this game for its piece coordination and sustained pressure, against an opponent who started with a higher rating, 2271 to 2244.

Another fine struggle is Obregon Garcia - Pogorelskikh from round seven. Playing Black in the Sveshnikov Sicilian, Sofia accepts an exchange sacrifice, moves her king towards the queenside and activates her rooks. The sequence from 44...Rh2 to 46...Rxh8, with White promoting in between, is especially worth a look. The win on move 51 supplied one of Serbia’s two points against Cuba. Open the game on Lichess

What we take from their tournaments

Bojan’s win against Cuba and Sofia’s run after the rest day are games we will enjoy returning to. The official tournament calculations give Bojan a 2451 performance and a -4.2 rating change, and Sofia a 2311 performance and +18.8. Performance describes the result at this event; the changes quoted come from the tournament calculation, not a new monthly FIDE list. Bojan’s calculation · Sofia’s calculation

Sofia’s run gave us plenty to cheer in the closing rounds, and Bojan’s game against Cuba rewards a closer look. Thank you both for those points and moments. Our series continues with Ivić and Srdanović; the final team standings and all ten Serbian players’ scores are in our closing report from Samarkand.