Uzbek chess player Javakhir Sindarov is the first in the history of the Candidates Tournament to win six games in a single round. The 20-year-old chess player did not lose a single game in the tournament, which runs in Cyprus from March 28 to April 16.
Sindarov won the 2026 Candidates Tournament early, winning the title with one round remaining. Going into the final game, the 20-year-old has a two-point lead over his nearest challenger, Anish Giri of the Netherlands.
How did Javakhir Sindarov perform?
- At the start of the tournament, Sindarov defeated “neutral” Andrey Yesipenko. After that, the Uzbek drew with German Matthias Bluebaum in the second round.
- In the next four matches, Sindarov posted a winning streak, followed by three more draws. In total, the 20-year-old chess player has six wins and seven draws in 13 matches.
- For the first time in the recent history of the Candidates Tournament, a participant has won six games. No chess player has won more than five games in a single round (since 2013, when the competition began as a two-round group tournament).
“If you had asked me this question a year ago, I would never have believed it. But over the past year I have really improved my game. I am very happy with my chess skills. I will try to play better and better,” Sindarov was quoted as saying by The Guardian.
With his victory in the 2026 Candidates Tournament, Sindarov will fight for the world title against current titleholder Dommaraju Gukesh. The Indian has held the title since 2024, when he became the youngest world champion at the age of 18.
“He [Gukesh] is the youngest champion in history and of course one of the best players in the world. He has a lot of strengths and it will be a very exciting match. He has a very good team. What can I say, I just wish him luck.”
What does the Sindarov result mean?
- Sindarov is the first representative of Uzbekistan in the recent history of the Candidates Tournament (since 2006) to become the champion of the competition.
- The match between Sindarov and Gukesh will feature the youngest meeting for the title of world classical chess champion in history.
- Sindarov will receive 70,000 euros for winning the 2026 Candidates Tournament, as well as an additional 5,000 for each draw.
- For the second time in a row (and for the second time in history), two Asians will compete for the world title. In 2024, Gukesh defeated China's Ding Lizhen for the title.
The date and venue of the world championship match between Sindarov and Gukesh will be announced by the International Chess Federation (FIDE) at a later date.