Javokhir Sindarov Nominated for Two FIDE Excellence Awards

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — Uzbek grandmaster Javokhir Sindarov has been shortlisted for the inaugural FIDE Excellence Awards in two categories: Best Player and Breakthrough of the Year. The winners will be announced in September 2026 at an awards ceremony in Samarkand, held alongside the 46th FIDE World Chess Olympiad.

The International Chess Federation (FIDE) established the FIDE Excellence Awards for the first time in 2026. The awards will be presented every two years to recognize achievements during each two-year cycle. The inaugural edition covers the period from September 2024 to August 2026. Following a public nomination process, FIDE selected shortlists of 10 nominees in each of the 11 award categories.

Over the past two years, Sindarov has significantly strengthened his position in world chess. His classical rating rose from 2677 in September 2024 to 2777 in July 2026. As a result, he climbed to fourth place in the world rankings of active players and became the highest-rated player in both Uzbekistan and Asia, according to FIDE.

One of the grandmaster's biggest achievements was winning the 2025 FIDE World Cup in Goa. He defeated China's Wei Yi in the final on tie-breaks, becoming the youngest-ever winner of the title at the age of 19. The victory secured him a place in the Candidates Tournament, and the President of Uzbekistan awarded him the honorary title of Honoured Athlete of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

In April 2026, Sindarov won the Candidates Tournament with rounds to spare, earning the right to challenge Gukesh Dommaraju for the world championship title. He was subsequently awarded the Mehnat Shuhrati (Labour Glory) Order.

In the Best Player category, Sindarov is joined by fellow Uzbek grandmaster Nodirbek Abdusattorov, as well as Magnus Carlsen, Fabiano Caruana, Arjun Erigaisi, Alireza Firouzja, Anish Giri, Gukesh Dommaraju, Vincent Keymer and Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa.

Sindarov has also been shortlisted for the Breakthrough of the Year award alongside Divya Deshmukh, Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus, Faustino Oro, Gukesh Dommaraju, Anastasiia Hnatyshyn, Vincent Keymer, Volodar Murzin, Andy Woodward and Zhu Jiner.

Uzbekistan is represented in several other award categories. The Chess Federation of Uzbekistan has been shortlisted for Best Federation, the country's men's national team is competing for Best Team, and the UzChess Cup has been nominated for Best Round-Robin Tournament.

The next stage of the awards process will see an expert panel vote to determine the winners in all categories. The awards ceremony will take place in Samarkand in September during the 46th FIDE World Chess Olympiad.