How Sindarov Made History At The 2026 Candidates Tournament

Round one of the
2026 FIDE Chess World Championship
, taking place in Geneva, Switzerland on November 24, is less than a month away. World Champion
Gukesh Dommaraju
will defend his title for the first time against Challenger GM
Javokhir Sindarov
. But how did the Uzbek dark horse qualify for the year's most important over-the-board match?
Chess.com released a 19-minute video, narrated by the Internet's Chess Teacher IM
Levy Rozman
(
GothamChess
), highlighting Sindarov's road through the
2026 FIDE Candidates Tournament
—an elite event he not only won but dominated, despite starting off in the middle of the pack by rating.
The Candidates was an eight-player double round-robin with a classical time control. Sindarov ultimately scored a historic 10/14, and his incredible 5.5/6 start played a huge role in his ultimate success.
Highlights of the video include:
Pre-tournament expectations of top players, including Sindarov
Game-by-game analysis of each victory, including wins over GMs
Fabiano Caruana
and
Hikaru Nakamura
back-to-back
Big-picture narrative of Sindarov's style based on these games
The records Sindarov has shattered
What victory means for Sindarov, Uzbekistan, and chess history
Sindarov was number 24 in the world at this time last year, but now he is number four—only behind GM
Magnus Carlsen
, Nakamura, and Caruana. Since the Candidates Tournament in May, he has steadily risen another five points after playing in the
Super Chess Classic Romania
, the
Sinquefield Cup
, and the
46th Chess Olympiad
. His opponent, on the other hand, has dropped from a peak rank of number three to number 26
in the world
. In the same period, Gukesh lost 15 points in
Norway Chess
, lost another 14 points in the
Quantbox Chennai Grand Masters
, but gained 7 points in the Olympiad.
Will Sindarov continue to show the monstrous form we'd witnessed at the Candidates Tournament (and since), and will Gukesh find
his
form before it is time to play what will be one of the most important matches of his life?
Although it won't be at a classical event, the last time we'll see Sindarov play before the big match is on October 27-29 in St. Louis.
Clutch Chess: Champions Showdown 2026
features Sindarov, Caruana, Nakamura, and GM
Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu
in a rapid tournament where first place earns $125,000.
Let us know your world championship match predictions in the comments below!