Sindarov Retains Lead at 2026 Candidates Tournament

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — On 5 April, Uzbek grandmaster Javokhir Sindarov drew with Anish Giri in the seventh round of the 2026 Candidates Tournament.

Following the game, Sindarov has 6 points out of a possible 7 and remains at the top of the standings. Giri, with 3.5 points, is in third place.

In other games of the round, second-placed Fabiano Caruana also drew with Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa, bringing his total to 4.5 points.

In the eighth round, Sindarov is set to face Andrey Esipenko.

The 2026 Candidates Tournament is being held in Cyprus from March 29 to April 15, featuring eight of the world’s top grandmasters, including Hikaru Nakamura and Fabiano Caruana. For Sindarov, this marks his debut at this level.

The competition is played in a double round-robin format, with a prize fund of €500,000. The winner will earn the right to challenge reigning world champion Dommaraju Gukesh for the world chess title.