Javohir Sindarov won a tournament in the US ahead of the chess crown match

Javohir Sindarov wins tournament in the US on the eve of the match for the chess crown

20-year-old Uzbekistani chess player Javohir Sindarov won the Clutch Chess: Champions Showdown 2026 international tournament, which was held on October 27−29 at the Saint Louis Chess Club (USA).

Sindarov’s preparation for international tournaments, including the upcoming match for the chess crown, his participation, and work with coaches

At the end of three days, Sindarov scored 20.5 points, leaving his closest pursuer, Indian Grandmaster Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa, 1.5 points behind.

Final results:

In the competition with a prize fund of 425 thousand dollars, Sindarov received 125 thousand dollars for 1st place. Along with additional payments for victories in individual games and a special jackpot, his total earnings reached 168 thousand dollars.

Clutch Chess: Champions Showdown was organized for the second consecutive year. In the first tournament in 2025, Norwegian Grandmaster Magnus Carlsen won, while Fabiano Caruana took second place.

This time, four chess players participated in the competition, each playing 18 games — six per day. The opponents played against each other twice every day, once with the white pieces and once with the black pieces.

The time control provided 10 minutes for each game with an addition of five seconds after every move.

Another feature of the competition was that as the tournament neared its end, the value of victories increased. A game won on the first day was worth 1 point, on the second day 2 points, and on the final day 3 points. This allowed the chess players to significantly change their position in the standings even on the last day.

Cash bonuses ranging from $1,000 to $3,000 were also paid for victories, depending on the day of the competition.

After the first day, Hikaru Nakamura took the lead by accumulating four points. Sindarov took second place with 3.5 points with one victory and no losses.

The Uzbekistani chess player gained his only victory over Praggnanandhaa. In an endgame with opposite-colored bishops, the Indian grandmaster, who previously had an advantage, made a blunder on move 47 and resigned after the opponent's next move.

In the final game of the first day, Sindarov came close to defeating Nakamura as well. In a complex endgame, the American chess player made a mistake and fell into a lost position, but managed to defend and achieve a draw after 117 moves.

The second day was not so successful for Sindarov. He exchanged wins with Praggnanandhaa, but lost to Caruana in a game he later called one of the worst performances of his career. Three more matches ended in draws.

Heading into the final playing day, Sindarov and Caruana had 8.5 points each, trailing the leader Praggnanandhaa by 2.5 points.

On the decisive day, the Uzbekistani grandmaster did not lose a single game, notably securing three victories and playing three draws. First, Sindarov faced the tournament leader Praggnanandhaa. The first game ended in a draw, and in the second, the Uzbekistani chess player successfully exploited his opponent's tactical mistake.

The Indian chess player sacrificed a piece for two central pawns, hoping to regain the material. However, instead of making the necessary move with the queen, he missed the decisive tactical opportunity to Sindarov.

Then the Uzbekistani grandmaster defeated Fabiano Caruana. In severe time trouble, the American chess player made inaccuracies, and Sindarov gained a two-pawn advantage in a queenless rook endgame, bringing it to victory.

In the second match with Caruana, Sindarov once again obtained a promising position, this time employing the King's Indian Defense, but was unable to find the winning continuation. The game ended in a draw.

The brightest game of the tournament was Sindarov's victory with the black pieces over Hikaru Nakamura in the penultimate round.

The Uzbekistani grandmaster once again chose the King's Indian Defense — an opening he regularly uses even in games against the world's strongest chess players.

Sindarov launched a fierce attack against the opponent's king by sacrificing a bishop. In order not to slow down the pace of the attack, he subsequently sacrificed the exchange twice, trading his rooks for minor pieces.

The attack proved successful, and Nakamura conceded defeat.

“This was one of the best games I have played in the King's Indian Defense. Even under short time control, I played very well,” Sindarov said after the match.

According to the chess player, at a certain point he had several ways to achieve victory, but he consciously chose the most impressive and beautiful continuation.

“I thought that if I started a beautiful game, I should finish it beautifully, too,” he said.

A Chess.com commentator called this match the best game of the competition and one of the contenders for the game of the year title.

After the victory over Nakamura, Sindarov had to play one more game with the American chess player. In the final match, he chose the solid Berlin Defense and achieved a draw that secured him first place.

Praggnanandhaa retained the chance to win the tournament until the last round. However, in the final game against Caruana, playing with the black pieces, the Indian grandmaster made a mistake that allowed the opponent to trap his queen. As a result, he lost and finished the competition in second place.

The victory in Saint Louis was Javohir Sindarov's last appearance in official competitions before the match for the world championship title against Gukesh Dommaraju of India.

Sindarov emphasized that he was pleased with both the result and his time spent in the US. He also expressed his gratitude to the tournament organizers and commentators.

The match for the world crown will take place from November 22 to December 12, 2026, in Geneva (Switzerland). The first game is scheduled for November 24.

According to the regulations of the International Chess Federation (FIDE), the opponents will play up to 14 games under classical time control. If the score remains tied after their conclusion, the champion will be determined in a tie-break on December 12.

Sindarov earned the right to play for the world crown by winning the 2026 Candidates Tournament. Gukesh became the world champion in December 2024 by defeating Chinese Grandmaster Ding Liren.

When the match begins, both chess players will be 20 years old. This will be the youngest world championship match in chess history in terms of the participants' age.