Sindarov Suffers His First Defeat: What Is the Tournament Standings Picture?

12:07 / 12.08.2026·60·Sport

The Sinquefield Cup 2026 tournament, one of the world’s most prestigious chess events and the decisive stage of the Grand Chess Tour series, is underway in St. Louis, USA. The competition features the world’s leading grandmasters and is being held in a nine-round round-robin format in classical chess.

A dramatic battle: A hard-fought game against Praggnanandhaa

In the first round, Uzbek talent Javohir Sindarov drew with experienced American grandmaster Levon Aronian while playing with the white pieces. In the second round, he faced another difficult test.

Sindarov played the black pieces against India’s Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa, who has recently become his main and most formidable rival. In an extremely dramatic and tense game that appeared headed for a balanced draw, Praggnanandhaa seized the initiative in the final stages and secured victory.

Three other games also ended in victories in the second round. Only one match was drawn, with Dutchman Anish Giri and American Fabiano Caruana sharing the points.

Tournament standings and Sindarov’s next opponent before Round 3

In Round 3, which will be held today, Javohir Sindarov will play with the white pieces against one of France’s leading chess players, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave. All tournament games begin at 22:00 Uzbekistan time.

Standings after Round 2:

Places 1–5: Fabiano Caruana, Wesley So, Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa, Levon Aronian and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (1.5 points each);
6th place: Anish Giri (1 point);
7th place: Javohir Sindarov (0.5 points, based on tiebreak criteria);
Bottom place: Jorden van Foreest (0 points, having lost both rounds).