Uzbek Grandmaster Javokhir Sindarov Tops Candidates Chess Tournament
Uzbek grandmaster Javokhir Sindarov finished the first round of the Candidates Tournament in Cyprus as the sole leader, the International Chess Federation (FIDE) reports.
🇺🇿 Sindarov dominates at the halfway mark, 🇺🇦 Muzychuk retains the lead
— International Chess Federation (@FIDE_chess) April 5, 2026
🇺🇿 Javokhir Sindarov finished the first half of the FIDE Candidates Tournament in the lead with an impressive 6/7, holding a clear 1½ point advantage over 🇺🇸 Fabiano Caruana. In the Women’s FIDE Candidates,… pic.twitter.com/pQWf9VqGax
The 20-year-old scored six points out of seven, giving him a comfortable 1.5-point lead over nearest rival, American Fabiano Caruana.
Chess.com highlighted that Sindarov has a history of strong starts, having previously won five of the first six games in earlier tournaments.
This is an extraordinary achievement, when compared to legends like Magnus Carlsen and Ian Nepomniachtchi, who won five games across an entire 14-game tournament. Sindarov achieved this in half the distance.
Total wins of eventual Candidates Winners:
— Chess.com (@chesscom) April 5, 2026
5 – Magnus Carlsen (2013)
3 – Vishy Anand (2014)
4 – Sergey Karjakin (2016)
5 – Fabiano Caruana (2018)
5 – Ian Nepomniachtchi (2021)
5 – Ian Nepomniachtchi (2022)
5 – Gukesh D (2024)
Javokhir Sindarov had 5 wins after 6 games… pic.twitter.com/4fPq3RlvHt
The winner of the tournament will earn the right to compete for the title of undisputed world champion. In the women’s section, Ukrainian grandmaster Anna Muzychuk currently leads.
Uzbekistan has a strong recent history in chess: in 2022, the national team, with Sindarov playing a key role, won the World Chess Olympiad in Chennai. Meanwhile, fellow Uzbek grandmaster Nodirbek Abdusattorov has this year broken into the world top five, cementing his status among the elite players.
