A New Era in Chess: Uzbekistan's Number 1 Player Changes

A time of pride and celebration continues for Uzbek chess fans! Following the conclusion of May, the International Chess Federation (FIDE) has updated its list of the world's greatest minds. Remarkably, five Uzbek representatives are now among the world's top 100 grandmasters.

Intense competition continues at the top of the world rankings. While Norwegian phenomenon Magnus Carlsen (2841) continues to lead the list, the next two spots are held by famous American grandmasters with identical scores — Fabiano Caruana (2792) and Hikaru Nakamura (2792).

Change on the Uzbek throne: Sindarov rises to 4th place!

The May summary brought unexpected and historic news for Uzbek fans. The name of our country's number one chess player has changed. This is due to the phenomenal performance of Javokhir Sindarov, known among amateurs as the "professor," at the prestigious «Superbet Chess Classic Romania–2026» tournament.

Thanks to his successful run at the international tournament in Romania, Javokhir increased his rating to exactly 2777 points and became the world's 4th-ranked chess player!

The fan-favorite Nodirbek Abdusattorov is currently our country's second-ranked player. Interestingly, Nodirbek also has 2777 points but due to tie-break criteria, he sits in 5th place in the FIDE world rankings, right behind Javokhir. Having two of our boys in the top 5 is a true triumph for Uzbek sports!

Our other grandmasters in the top 100

The other three compatriots among the world's top 100 chess players also hold solid positions:

• Nodirbek Yakubboev — with 2689 points, he holds 40th place in the world.

• Rustam Kasimdzhanov — Our experienced former world champion is placed exactly at 50th place with 2665 points.

• Shamsiddin Vokhidov — Our skilled chess player has collected 2637 points and is currently in 89th place.

Team success: Beyond individual performances, the Uzbekistan men's national team is also recognized among the world's grandees. With a total of 2623 points, our representatives round out the top ten in the FIDE National Team rankings, holding an honorable 9th place. We wish our boys nothing but victories in their upcoming matches!