Javokhir Sindarov earns world chess title shot with stunning Candidates win | World Chess Championship 2026

Javokhir Sindarov will challenge for Gukesh Dommaraju’s World Chess Championship this fall after winning the Candidates Tournament with a match remaining Tuesday afternoon in Cyprus.

The 20-year-old Uzbek grandmaster capped off a resounding victory in the 14-match double round-robin with a 58-move draw playing with the black pieces against Dutch star Anish Giri, moving to 9½ points and leaving the world number 9 two adrift with one round remaining.

“After exchanging the queens [20 Qxa6] … I didn’t have any pressure,” Sindarov said afterwards. “I felt very comfortable during the match.”

Giri, who remained in mathematical contention heading into Tuesday’s penultimate day, missed an opportunity to narrow the gap after failing to convert a winning position against China’s Wei Yi a day earlier.

Sindarov’s triumph in the resort town of Peyia was built on an imposing, unbeaten run among the eight players: six wins and seven draws in 13 matches, a level of control rarely seen on the cutthroat Candidates stage. He will close his tournament with a draw on Wednesday playing with White against Wei.

The tournament had been billed as a potential last stand for the established elite, but Americans Fabiano Caruana and Hikaru Nakamura never mounted a lasting challenge, underscoring the accelerating shift toward a younger generation at the top of the game.

Gukesh became the youngest world champion in history when he dethroned China’s Ding Liren in Singapore two years ago, breaking the previous age record held by Garry Kasparov, who was 22 when he beat Anatoly Karpov in 1985.

Their showdown was the first time in the 138-year history of the world championship that two Asian men had faced off for the sport’s most prestigious title. This will now happen for a second consecutive world title match. Both players will be under 21 when they meet, likely in November, with Gukesh about six months younger than Sindarov.

Ding had won the crown by defeating Ian Nepomniachtchi after Magnus Carlsen, the five-time champion ranked number 1 for almost 15 consecutive years, withdrew from the title cycle, citing a lack of motivation. While the rise of Sindarov and his contemporaries is likely to reignite speculation about a return, Carlsen has repeatedly said he has no plans to return.

“He is the youngest champion in history and of course one of the best players in the world,” Sindarov said of Gukesh. “He has a lot of skills and it will be a very exciting match. He has a very good team. What can I say, I just wish him good luck.”

The victory marks the latest high of a great year for Sindarov, who rose to a career-best ranking of 11th in the world after a decisive victory at last year’s Fide World Cup. In contrast, Gukesh’s results were unsuccessful, including a final joint performance in March at the Prague International Chess Festival where he won only one game out of nine.

“My performance at the last few events was quite disappointing, not just for me, but for all of you who support me,” Gukesh wrote on Instagram last month. “In order to get back into my best shape, my team and I decided that I should compete with a little less intensity over the next few months.”

Sindarov takes home the winner’s share of €70,000 ($82,582) from the €700,000 fund, plus an additional €5,000 for every half-point scored. When asked if he understood that he would be playing for the greatest world chess title, Sindarov answered to the point.

“If you had asked me this question a year ago, I would never have believed it,” he said. “But last year I really improved my chess. I am very happy with my chess skills. I will try to play better and better.”

The date and host city for the best-of-14 world championship match have not yet been confirmed.