---
title: Republic Cup 2025 – A Hard-Fought Battle!
description: Republic Cup 2025 – A Hard-Fought Battle!
image: https://image.lichess1.org/display?fmt=webp&h=550&op=thumbnail&path=ublog:Zw6kszYl:Ensc1K2W.webp&w=880&sig=5d51ac53f626f7939e302846782dfde9b30ffd21
---

The **Republic Cup 2025** was an intense tournament where the top 3 players would qualify for the **2025 Masters Finals** (a step towards the **Samarkand Olympiad 2026**). 
I finished **7th out of 64 players**, scoring **4.5/6** and gaining **27 Elo** (1684+27= **1711**).

**Tournament Highlights:**
**Round 3:** Won a nice attacking game vs a **Candidate Master (CM)** in the **Dragon**. Fun fact: My opponent played **GM Wesley So** in the 2006 Chess Olympiad!
**Round 5:** Won a solid game vs the **Petroff Defense**.
**Missed Opportunities:**
**Round 4:** Missed a tactic—Instead of **19...e6**, **19...Rxd5!** followed by **Bb7** would have won a piece.
![Tactic](https://image.lichess1.org/display?fmt=webp&h=0&op=resize&path=ublogBody:kyI5Vz8heehn:2LNl9CTh.jpg&w=800&sig=d0a954a39e78637f93946bf8dbbe263b0cdb3079)
**Round 6 (Heartbreak!):** I faced the **top seed (2037 Elo)** with Black. Despite being **out of book since move 5**, I outplayed him and reached a **winning position**. But on **move 31, I blundered (31...Kc7?) instead of 31...e3!**, which would have led to a winning rook endgame.
![Rook Endgame ](https://image.lichess1.org/display?fmt=webp&h=0&op=resize&path=ublogBody:zZyeqYLTeqIc:pFbcHxos.jpg&w=800&sig=81bda820d0bb351b93b5acd15c5d5c3dfb8aebe4)
I was also tired, having played a **long morning game** with just 5 minutes before the last round—thankfully, I had a **Snickers** bar!

**Key Lesson:** **Endgames still need serious work!** In **Round 5**, a stronger endgame technique would have won in **2h instead of 3h**.
On the bright side, I regained **1700+ Elo** and was **top 3 until the last round**.
**The grind continues!** Another qualifier in June—the last chance for **Masters 2025**. We go again!

**Check out my games:** [https://lichess.org/study/NgY0eKVs/3OF8acuy](https://lichess.org/study/NgY0eKVs/3OF8acuy)

**"A righteous man may fall seven times and rise again." – Proverbs 24:16**