Uzbekistani grandmaster Javokhir Sindarov won the 2026 Candidates Tournament held in Nicosia on April 14, securing the right to compete in the upcoming World Chess Championship match. The tournament, organized under the auspices of FIDE, took place from March 29 to April 15 and featured eight of the world’s top players competing in a double round-robin format.
Sindarov clinched first place in the penultimate 13th round after drawing his game against Dutch grandmaster Anish Giri. Playing with the black pieces, Sindarov entered a rook endgame following a series of exchanges, and the players agreed to a draw after extended maneuvering. Their earlier encounter in the first round had also ended in a draw.
The result brought Sindarov to 9.5 points out of 13, establishing a two-point lead over his nearest competitors with one round remaining. This margin ensured that he could not be overtaken in the final standings, even in the event of a loss in the last round. His score also matched the modern Candidates Tournament record set by Ian Nepomniachtchi in 2022, who also secured victory with one round to spare.
Over the course of the tournament, Sindarov recorded six wins, setting a new benchmark in the modern double round-robin format introduced in 2013. Previous participants, including Magnus Carlsen and Fabiano Caruana, had achieved a maximum of five wins in a single Candidates event under the same format.
Sindarov’s victory represents the first time an Uzbekistani player has won the Candidates Tournament in its current format. Earlier, Rustam Kasimdzhanov held the FIDE World Champion title in 2004, though the qualification system at that time followed a knockout structure rather than the round-robin format used today.
Following this result, Sindarov will face reigning world champion Dommaraju Gukesh in a match for the world title. The date and venue of the championship match are expected to be announced by FIDE at a later stage.
The 2026 Candidates Tournament offered a total prize fund of €700,000. Sindarov is set to receive €70,000 for first place, along with additional performance-based bonuses of €5,000 per half-point scored, bringing his total earnings from the tournament to €95,000. His participation was supported by the National Bank of Uzbekistan.
