Sindarov nears Candidates victory after Nakamura draw

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — Uzbek grandmaster Javokhir Sindarov moved closer to winning the Candidates Tournament after drawing with American player Hikaru Nakamura in the 12th round in Cyprus.

Playing with the white pieces, Sindarov agreed to a draw after about 35 minutes in one of the shortest games in the history of Candidates tournaments, with both players settling the result at an early stage. In their first-round encounter, Sindarov had defeated Nakamura while playing black.

Following this result, the 20-year-old grandmaster has 9 points with two rounds remaining. He now needs just half a point to secure overall victory in the tournament.

Sindarov had a chance to clinch first place ahead of schedule in this round, but his closest rival Anish Giri also drew his game against Wei Yi, keeping the gap between first and second place at two points.

As a result, Giri retains only theoretical chances of winning the tournament: Sindarov would need to lose both remaining games, while the Dutch grandmaster would have to win his matches.

Sindarov’s next game will take place after a rest day on April 14, when he will face Giri with the black pieces.

The Candidates Tournament 2026 is being held from March 29 to April 15 in Cyprus and features eight of the world’s top grandmasters. The competition follows a double round-robin format over 14 rounds. The winner earns the right to challenge reigning world champion Dommaraju Gukesh for the world title. The prize fund totals €700,000.