Alireza Firouzja Defeats Nodirbek Abdusattorov and Advances to the EWC 2025 Chess Semifinals

Chess EWC 2025 continues to gain momentum, and today marked the first matches of the playoff stage. Among them, we highlight the victory of Alireza Firouzja from Team Falcons over Nodirbek Abdusattorov, who represented Natus Vincere. The match was highly dynamic and lasted four games. In this blog, we’ll walk you through the most exciting moments of the showdown.

The EWC 2025 chess tournament runs from July 29 to August 1 and features 16 of the world’s top chess players. Much like other esports disciplines at EWC, the chess tournament has a clearly defined format, strict rules, and a prize pool of $1,500,000, complemented by EWC Club points.

As of July 31, 2025, the top 8 players who made it to the playoffs have been determined. One of the most notable Quarterfinals matches was Alireza Firouzja vs. Nodirbek Abdusattorov. The players competed in four tightly contested games. However, the representative of Team Falcons played slightly better and secured a 3-1 victory.

Alireza Firouzja advances to the Semifinals, where he will face Arjun Erigaisi, while Nodirbek Abdusattorov finishes in 5th-8th place for Natus Vincere.