Javokhir Sindarov Wins Candidates Tournament, Sets Points Record
Thu, 16 Apr 2026
Javokhir Sindarov won the FIDE Candidates Tournament in Cyprus with a round to spare, setting a new points record and earning the right to challenge Gukesh Dommaraju for the world title.
Javokhir Sindarov won the FIDE Candidates Tournament in Pegeia, Cyprus, clinching the title with a round to spare after winning five of the first six games. His final score set a new points record for the event.The eight-player double round-robin ran from March 28 to April 16 at the Cap St Georges Hotel and Resort. Sindarov's victory earns him the right to challenge reigning World Champion Gukesh Dommaraju for the title later this year, in a match now scheduled for November and December.It is Sindarov's first appearance in a World Championship match and continues a run of Uzbek players making an impact at the top level of the game, following the emergence of Nodirbek Abdusattorov as a world-class rapid and blitz player in recent years.Sindarov's early, decisive start — five wins in six games — left the rest of the field playing for second place for much of the second half of the tournament, an unusually lopsided result for an event that has historically been decided in tighter finishes.The result sets up a title match pitting the sport's youngest reigning world champion against one of its newest elite-level qualifiers, a matchup FIDE has yet to confirm a host city for.