Javokhir Sindarov
The Uzbek grandmaster who will challenge Gukesh Dommaraju for the world title in November 2026. He won the 2025 World Cup and then the 2026 Candidates with 10/14, the highest score in the event’s current format, clinching it with a round to spare.
Taught by his grandfather in Tashkent, he became a grandmaster at 12, then the second-youngest in history, and grew up alongside rival and teammate Nodirbek Abdusattorov. The two won Olympiad gold for Uzbekistan in 2022, and again on home soil in Samarkand in 2026.
His rise sped up after he began working with coach Roman Vidonyak in 2025. A 53-game unbeaten classical run ended only in May 2026, and in July he won both the rapid and blitz at the Naroditsky Memorial.
Career highlights
- Challenger for the 2026 World Championship against Gukesh Dommaraju (24 November to 12 December, Cologny, Switzerland)
- Won the 2026 Candidates with a record 10/14
- Won the 2025 World Cup, its youngest and first Uzbek winner
- Olympiad gold with Uzbekistan in 2022 and 2026
- Grandmaster at 12
Titles
- Candidates Tournament: 2026
- FIDE World Cup: 2025
From the winners lists on our event pages.
Javokhir Sindarov in The Chess Herald
- So Draws Niemann in Under an Hour, One Round From a Fourth Title
- Sindarov's Seconds: Abdusattorov, Vidonyak and Likely Madaminov
- Total Chess Rating Puts Carlsen at 2830, 51 Points Clear
- Weekly Recap: Turlov Takes Over FIDE as Uzbekistan Wins Gold in Samarkand
- How a Player Earns a Shot at the World Chess Title
Show all 23 articles
- Caruana Heads a 12-Player U.S. Championship Field in Saint Louis
- Sindarov Within Two Points of Caruana After Samarkand
- Uzbekistan's Lead Holds as Ding Liren Blunders in Round 10
- Uzbekistan Retakes the Lead as So Stuns Sindarov
- Germany Ends Uzbekistan's 7/7 Run in Samarkand
- Weekly Recap: Samarkand's Double Olympiad and FIDE's Newest World Title Backer
- Argentina's 28th Seed Shocks Ukraine at Samarkand
- Freedom Holding Signs On as FIDE's Newest World Title Backer
- Liang's Shock Loss and Montenegro's Draw Rattle Samarkand
- Geneva's Return to World Title Chess, 22 Years On
- Samarkand's 400 Teams Break Budapest's Record by 20
- Samarkand's Deaf Champion Coached Its Future Star
- Weekly Recap: Bengaluru's Standings Keep Flipping While FIDE Builds Out Its Calendar
- GCL's Lead Swings Back to the Gambits on Day 5
- Carlsen Returns, But GCL Day One Belongs to Sindarov
- The Torch Passes Again: Sindarov's Win Over Anand Echoes a Familiar Chess Story
- India Used To Have One World-Class Player. Now It Has A Bench.
- Sindarov's Round-Seven Win Echoes His Candidates Surge as Tan Survives a Near-Collapse
FIDE profile · Wikipedia
Profile last reviewed September 29, 2026. Ratings update monthly from FIDE.