Sindarov Clinches 2026 Candidates Title Early in Cyprus

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — Uzbek grandmaster Javokhir Sindarov has secured early victory at the 2026 Candidates Tournament, which is being held in Cyprus from 29 March to 15 April and features eight of the world’s strongest chess players.

In the 13th round of the competition, Sindarov drew with Dutch grandmaster Anish Giri. The result allowed the Uzbek player to reach 9.5 points out of a possible 13 and secure the overall victory with one round remaining.

Giri, who scored 7.5 points after the game, is currently in second place in the standings. In the same round, American grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura split the point with Matthias Blübaum.

The Candidates Tournament is held in a double round-robin format over 14 rounds. The winner earns the right to challenge the reigning world champion Dommaraju Gukesh for the world chess title. The total prize fund of the tournament is €700,000.