Nodirbek Abdusattorov, 21, dominated the XTX London Classic at Arsenal's Emirates Stadium, finishing with 7.5 points.

What happened?

He demonstrated his skills with a dominant tournament rating performance of almost 3000 and a feat of memory in a key game against Abhimanyu Mishra.

Nodirbek Abdusattorov was fully prepared for the rare Arkhangelsk Ruy Lopez, needing only to double-check his analysis for the first 34 moves.

Why it matters for Nodirbek Abdusattorov

His lead over his main rival, Alireza Firouzja, stretched to a full point by round five, with the former tennis star Andy Murray making a ceremonial opening move for him.

Nodirbek Abdusattorov's fifth successive win, against Sam Shankland in round six, raised his tournament performance rating to 3050 and was a crushing attack where the American resigned one move before checkmate.

What comes next?

When the two leaders met in Thursday's eighth round, Firouzja chose a rare variation of the Queen's Gambit Accepted, but got nothing from the opening, and Nodirbek Abdusattorov could have played on at the end with 31….Qg6, but chose to draw by perpetual check to wrap up his tournament victory.

The event took place from December 5, 2025, and the English players suffered for most of the event but hit back in style on Thursday when all four won their eighth-round games.

Nodirbek Abdusattorov summed up: “It’s very easy to misjudge this endgame from a human perspective. That’s how we tend to think as humans, but the engine is merciless.”

The final scores were Nodirbek Abdusattorov (Uzbekistan) 7.5, Alireza Firouzja (France) 5.5, Nikita Vitiugov (England) 5, Luke McShane and Michael Adams (both England) 4.5, Nikolas Theodorou (Greece) and Pavel Eljanov (Ukraine) 4, Abhimanyu Mishra (USA) and Gawain Maroroa Jones (England) 3.5, Sam Shankland (USA) 3.

The four English victories in Thursday night’s eighth round transformed what had been a difficult event into a demonstration of sustained national strength at the board.

Nodirbek Abdusattorov's exceptional performance earned him the top spot in the tournament, solidifying his position as a top chess player.

The XTX London Classic at Arsenal's Emirates Stadium took place in an elegant arena with a full view of the football pitch, providing a unique setting for the chess tournament.