On April 3, talented Uzbek chess player Javakhir Sindarov played the black pieces against American giant Hikaru Nakamura in the 5th round of the 2026 Candidates Tournament in Paphos, Cyprus, and achieved another important victory.
Against his powerful opponent, who is ranked second in the world after Magnus Carlsen, Sindarov made quick and precise moves from the very beginning, putting Nakamura in the desert. Nakamura spent more than 67 minutes thinking about his 13th move, which gave Javakhir a tactical advantage. In the end, the American chess player was forced to surrender.
This victory is Sindarov's fourth victory in the tournament, and his third in a row. So far, he has scored 4.5 points out of 5, maintaining his lead in the tournament. Thus, Javakhir became the first Uzbek chess player in the history of the Candidates Tournament to achieve such a high result from the start.
In addition, Sindarov defeated two of the main favorites of the tournament: earlier he also defeated American Fabian Caruana, who was ranked third in the world. Thanks to another victory, Javakhir also gained additional points in the world ranking and rose to fifth place. Currently, two of the five best chess players in the world are athletes from Uzbekistan.
Andy Sindarov will play against Wei Yi of China in the 6th round on April 4. The tournament will last from March 29 to April 15 and will feature eight of the world's top chess players.
Each player will play a total of 14 games in two rounds, meaning there are still nine rounds to go. In addition to the cash prize (€48,000 for the win, plus €3,500 for each half-point), the winner will earn the right to challenge the reigning world champion, Dommaraju Gukesh of India, for the chess crown.
Jawohir's skill and quick thinking continue to amaze fans, setting new records and victories in the history of Uzbek chess.
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