“I tried to enjoy the chess.” Sindarov on the final tournament before the title match

“I tried to enjoy chess.” Sindarov talks about the final tournament before the match for the crown

Uzbekistani grandmaster Javohir Sindarov shared his thoughts on his victory at the Clutch Chess: Champions Showdown tournament held on October 27–29 in St. Louis, USA.

At the end of the three-day competition, the 20-year-old Sindarov scored 20.5 points, leaving behind Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa from India (19 points), Fabiano Caruana (16.5) and Hikaru Nakamura (12) from the USA. The Uzbekistani chess player’s total earnings, including the prize fund and bonuses, amounted to $168,000.

In an interview with Lichess after the tournament, the chess player said that this victory held special significance for him, as it was the last tournament before the match for the world chess crown.

“Of course, I’m happy. This tournament is very important for me before the World Championship match. I tried to enjoy chess in the last tournament before this match, because I know the upcoming match will be very tough. I had a great time here, and the games were good as well. Of course, I am satisfied with my result, and today was just amazing,” Sindarov said.

The Lichess host recalled that the reigning world champion Dommaraju Gukesh participated in the 2025 Clutch Chess tournament and finished last, whereas Sindarov won it in 2026.

When asked whether these results could be interpreted as a peculiar prediction for the upcoming match for the world crown, the Uzbekistani grandmaster answered in the negative.

“I don’t think it means anything. I believe in making the best moves and I don’t believe in factors like that. My goal is to play very well in the World Championship match, and we will see what happens from there. I really don’t believe in such things,” the grandmaster said.

At the same time, he admitted that winning over such strong opponents gives confidence ahead of the most important match of his career.

“Of course, winning is always nice. It gives a certain level of confidence. But that match is a completely different competition that needs to be approached with an entirely different focus. Naturally, it’s pleasant to win a tough tournament with such a strong field of participants,” Sindarov said.

The chess player also expressed his gratitude to the Saint Louis Chess Club and the organizers for the invitation and for hosting the event.

On the final day of the tournament, Sindarov secured three victories and drew three times, erasing a 2.5-point gap from the leader Praggnanandhaa.

The game against Hikaru Nakamura was particularly brilliant, in which the Uzbekistani chess player played with the black pieces and employed the King’s Indian Defense. While attacking the opponent’s king, Sindarov sacrificed a bishop, and then twice exchanged a rook for a minor piece.

In an interview with the Saint Louis Chess Club after winning the tournament, he praised this game highly.

“When I played with Hikaru, it was one of the best King’s Indian Defense games of my life. Even with such short time control, I played very well,” Sindarov said.

Commenting on the decision to continue the combinational play despite having opportunities to achieve victory through simpler means, the grandmaster noted:

According to him, on the morning of the final day of the competition, he came across a video on Instagram where commentators Yasser Seirawan and Maurice Ashley named him as their favorite.

“I thought to myself: wait, maybe I really should play well today,” the chess player said.

Sindarov stated that his initial plan was to win all the mini-matches on the final day.

At the same time, he admitted that after failing to convert an advantage into a win in one of the games against Fabiano Caruana, he felt a bit worried while simultaneously watching Praggnanandhaa’s successful play.

In his interview with Lichess, the grandmaster specifically highlighted the drawn game against Caruana.

“I really liked the game played with the black pieces against Fabi that ended in a draw. I put on very good pressure, but ran out of time. That game was truly fantastic,” he said.

Sindarov also called the victory over Praggnanandhaa in a complex position, which took place with his own king in a dangerous situation, an important one.

During the interview, the chess player was also asked about his activity on the Lichess platform, specifically about playing bullet chess, which has a very short time control of one minute per game.

According to Sindarov, he sometimes uses such games to relieve stress.

“Sometimes when I feel a little stressed, instead of playing video games, I try to play bullet. Of course, I like playing on Lichess. My goal is to always keep my rating at the 3300 level, and I fight for that,” the grandmaster said.

He believes that games with a 1+0 time control help to spot small tactical opportunities faster.

However, Sindarov does not recommend this format for lower-level chess players.

“I wouldn’t recommend playing in this format at an ordinary level. When you become an extremely strong chess player, it can help you spot small tactical opportunities very quickly,” he explained.

The match for the world champion title between Javohir Sindarov and reigning champion Dommaraju Gukesh will take place from November 22 to December 12, 2026, in Geneva, Switzerland. The first game is scheduled for November 24.

The contest will consist of a maximum of 14 games under classical time control. To achieve an early victory, one of the participants needs to score 7.5 points. If the score remains tied after 14 games, a tie-break will be held on December 12.

The match’s prize fund will be at least $2.5 million.

In 2026, Sindarov scored 10 points out of 14 possibilities at the Candidates Tournament in Cyprus, securing first place with one round to spare and earning the right to play the reigning world champion.

Gukesh won the world crown in December 2024 by defeating Chinese grandmaster Ding Liren.

Both participants of the upcoming match are 20 years old. According to the International Chess Federation (FIDE), this will be the youngest world championship match in chess history in terms of the players' age.