Javohir Sindorov becomes the first recipient of the FIDE award

As the 46th Chess Olympiad concluded in Samarkand, another joyful piece of news rang out for Uzbek chess. Uzbek grandmaster Javohir Sindorov won the very first «Best Male Chess Player» award in the history of the FIDE Excellence Awards.

This award itself is of special significance, as the FIDE Excellence Awards were established for the first time in 2026, and their inaugural winners were honored right in Samarkand. The award recognizes the best results in the Olympiad cycle from September 2024 to August 2026.

Sindorov becomes the first in historical list

Alongside Javohir Sindorov, leading figures of world chess — such as Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Fabiano Caruana, Magnus Carlsen, Arjun Erigaisi, Gukesh Dommaraju, and other grandmasters — were nominated in the «Best Male Chess Player» category.

In the end, victory went to the representative of Uzbekistan.

Thus, Sindorov entered chess history as the first winner of the «Best Male Chess Player» category in the history of the FIDE Excellence Awards.

Samarkand Olympiad — a grand chess celebration

The 46th Chess Olympiad was held in Samarkand from September 10 to 27. At the closing ceremony, the Olympiad flag was handed over to the host of the 2028 tournament, the United Arab Emirates, officially bringing the historic competition in Samarkand to a close.

Right within the framework of this tournament, the inaugural award ceremony of the FIDE Excellence Awards was also held.

For Uzbek chess, this became a twofold significant event: Samarkand hosted world chess, and Javohir Sindorov won the first «Best Male Chess Player» award at this historic ceremony.

Thus, Javohir Sindorov inscribed his name among the inaugural winners not only for Uzbekistan, but also in the history of the newly established FIDE Excellence Awards.