Javokhir Sindarov recognized as the best chess player by FIDE
Grandmaster of Uzbekistan Javokhir Sindarov has become the winner of the inaugural FIDE Excellence Awards in the "Best Male Chess Player" category. Over the course of two years, he won the World Cup and the Candidates Tournament, entered the top 4 of the rankings, and became an Olympic champion as part of the Uzbekistan national team in Samarkand.
Javokhir Sindarov named best chess player by FIDE
Uzbekistani grandmaster Javokhir Sindarov has become the winner of the first prize of the International Chess Federation FIDE Excellence Awards 2026 in the Best Chess Player — Male category. The award was presented to him on September 27 at the closing ceremony of the 46th World Chess Olympiad in Samarkand.
This award recognizes the achievements of chess players over a two-year Olympic cycle — from September 2024 to August 2026. FIDE established the Excellence Awards this year, and it will be presented every two years.
Sindarov's participation in international tournaments, preparation for competitions, and work with coaches are supported by the National Bank of Uzbekistan.
The shortlist for the "Best Chess Player — Male" category included ten grandmasters. In addition to Sindarov, the nominees were another representative of Uzbekistan Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Magnus Carlsen (Norway), Fabiano Caruana (USA), Arjun Erigaisi (India), Alireza Firouzja (France), Anish Giri (Netherlands), Gukesh Dommaraju (India), Vincent Keymer (Germany), and Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa (India).
Following an open nomination phase, a special FIDE jury formed shortlists of ten contenders in each category. The winners were then determined by the FIDE Excellence Awards expert panel. In total, the award includes 11 categories.
During the two-year period under consideration, Sindarov achieved several of the biggest successes of his career. In 2025, he won the FIDE World Cup, becoming the youngest champion in the history of this tournament. In the final, he defeated China's Wei Yi and earned a spot in the Candidates Tournament.
In April 2026, the Uzbekistani grandmaster won the Candidates Tournament ahead of schedule, earning the right to play Gukesh Dommaraju in the World Championship match. During this period, he climbed approximately 100 rating points and entered the top 4 of the world rankings.
In July, when FIDE announced the award shortlists, Sindarov was nominated in two categories at once — "Best Chess Player" and "Breakthrough of the Year." The winner of the second category was Turkish chess player Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus.
Sindarov received the FIDE award at the end of the home Olympiad, where the Uzbekistan men's national team became champions. The team scored 20 points, securing 10 victories in 11 matches, and won Olympic gold for the second time after Chennai 2022.
Sindarov himself scored 7 points in 10 games — five wins, four draws, and one loss — and received an individual bronze medal on board two with a performance rating of 2797.
The winner of the FIDE Excellence Awards 2026 in the Best Chess Player — Female category was Divya Deshmukh of India. The shortlist for the best female chess player also included Bibisara Assaubayeva, Aleksandra Goryachkina, Humpy Koneru, Lei Tingjie, Anna Muzychuk, Tan Zhongyi, Vaishali Rameshbabu, Ju Wenjun, and Zhu Jiner.