Wojtaszek and Bluebaum reach the podium
The Rubinstein Memorial, an invitational event held in Polanica-Zdrój, concluded with Nodirbek Yakubboev claiming overall victory. The tournament, played with a classical time control, brought together a competitive field that produced balanced yet hard-fought encounters across the nine rounds.
Going into the final round, Yakubboev held a full-point lead over a three-player chasing pack. This advantage meant that a draw with Igor Kovalenko would secure him the title. Their game ended in a short nine-move draw, which confirmed Yakubboev as the clear winner. His final score of 6½ points came from four wins and five draws, marking an unbeaten run and a convincing tournament performance.
Kovalenko, returning to the international circuit after a lengthy break caused by the war in Ukraine (he only played two classical rated games in Kyiv back in April), completed the event with the unusual record of nine consecutive draws. His solid approach prevented any opponent from breaking through but left him without a chance to compete for the top places.
The final round also decided the podium positions. Radoslaw Wojtaszek defeated David Navara, who had fought his way into contention during the middle phase of the tournament. With this win, Wojtaszek – a six-time Polish chess champion – reached 6 points, half a point behind the champion, and secured second place.
Two-time European champion Matthias Bluebaum completed a solid campaign with seven draws and two wins. In the ninth round, he pressed for a long time against Jan Klimkowski, eventually being held to a stalemate in a pawn ending after 54 moves. Bluebaum’s 5½ points were enough for third place, just half a point behind Wojtaszek.
The final standings showed a rare outcome: the top four players were all separated by half a point each. Yakubboev took gold with 6½ points, followed by Wojtaszek (6), Bluebaum (5½) and Navara (5).
All the tournament participants during the opening ceremony
In the final-round victory obtained by Wojtaszek, he made the most of a dangerous passer on the d-file to beat Navara. Despite being a pawn down, the Polish GM looked for piece exchanges to take advantage of his passer in the centre.
36…Rg6 gives way to 37.Rxg6 Nxg6 38.Qc4+ Kh7 39.e5 Rd4 40.Qe6 Nxe5 and Black has managed to both restore material balance and activate his three pieces.
After 41.Re1 Nf3+ 42.Nxf3 Qxf3 there is no stopping the d-pawn. Wojtaszek did not falter from this point on, and Navara resigned five moves later.
The playing hall during the second round
