Uzbek grandmaster Javokhir Sindarov has won the inaugural Daniel Naroditsky Memorial rapid tournament in the United States, defeating Indian grandmaster Aravindh Chithambaram in a blitz tiebreak to secure the title and improve his position in the FIDE rapid rankings.
The tournament, held in memory of American grandmaster, commentator, and streamer Daniel Naroditsky, saw Sindarov finish the seven-round rapid competition with six points, tying for first place with Chithambaram.
The winner was decided in a blitz tiebreak, where Sindarov won both games to claim the title with a 2-0 victory.
During the tournament, the Uzbek grandmaster defeated Shelev Oberoi, Nico Chasin, Mark Heimann, Robert Hess, Dariush Swercz, Aydin Suleymanli, and Chithambaram twice. His only defeat came against American grandmaster Andy Woodward.
Following the victory, Sindarov said the tournament held special significance for him.
"I came here simply to play chess in Daniel Naroditsky's memory, and I really enjoyed it. Everything was wonderful. I hope this tournament becomes an annual event," he stressed.
Sindarov added that Naroditsky was one of the kindest people in the chess world and revealed that the pair had played more than 1,000 games against each other in various formats.
The tournament's blitz competition is scheduled to take place on July 4.
Naroditsky, regarded as one of the world's strongest rapid and blitz players, died in October 2025 at the age of 29 due to complications from sarcoidosis. During his career, he won the 2007 World Youth Championship, the 2013 U.S. Junior Championship, and the 2025 U.S. Blitz Championship while building a global following through his educational content on YouTube and Twitch.
FIDE rankings
The victory also lifted Sindarov to seventh place in FIDE's online rapid rankings.
Separately, FIDE's July 1 over-the-board ratings showed Uzbekistan's leading grandmasters continuing to strengthen their positions.
In the blitz rankings, Nodirbek Abdusattorov climbed three places to world No. 2 with a rating of 2820 after gaining 35 rating points. World champion Magnus Carlsen retained the top spot with 2860 points despite losing nine rating points, while Daniil Dubov ranked third with 2792.
In the rapid rankings, Sindarov improved three places to world No. 10 with a rating of 2718. Carlsen remained first with 2803 points, ahead of France's Alireza Firouzja (2748) and India's Arjun Erigaisi (2745).
In the classical rankings, Sindarov is fourth in the world with a rating of 2777, while Abdusattorov ranks sixth with 2766, giving Uzbekistan two players in the world's top six.
