Javohir Sindarov rises to historical 3rd place in FIDE rankings

16 October 2026, 07:10·55·Sport

Uzbekistan's 20-year-old international grandmaster Javohir Sindarov has achieved the highest result of his career in the International Chess Federation's (FIDE) live ratings for classical chess, becoming the No. 3 chess player in the world.

After one of the favorites, Fabiano Karuana, unexpectedly lost to young player Andy Woodward in a match at the U.S. Championship, Sindarov's rating reached 2782 points, and for the first time in his career, he entered the top three strongest chess players on the planet.

The peak of the FIDE rankings: Who is ahead?

Currently, only two experienced grandmasters are ahead of Javohir Sindarov in the world classical chess rankings:

1st place: Magnus Carlsen (Norway) — 2823 points;
2nd place: Hikaru Nakamura (USA) — 2792 points;
3rd place: Javohir Sindarov (Uzbekistan) — 2782 points.

Historical indicator: Two Uzbeks simultaneously in the Top 5

The hegemony of the Uzbek chess school on the world stage has reached a new level:

Nodirbek Abdusattorov in 5th place: Another leading grandmaster of Uzbekistan, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, firmly occupies the 5th place in the world rankings with 2780 points;
Rare success in the Top 5: Thus, a rare occurrence in the history of world chess took place, with two representatives of Uzbekistan simultaneously securing spots among the five strongest chess players in the world.

Hero of the Samarkand Olympiad

Javohir Sindarov's unprecedented rise is a natural continuation of his brilliant performances in recent major tournaments:

Olympiad Champion: At the 46th Chess Olympiad hosted by the city of Samarkand, the Uzbekistan national team won the championship on home soil and claimed the gold medals;
Best player of the tournament: 20-year-old Javohir took on the main leadership in the team's victory and was officially recognized as the "Best Chess Player of the Olympiad" at the end of the competition, as well as being awarded FIDE's main prize in the men's category.

Sindarov's entry into the top three once again proves that Uzbekistan has become one of the absolute leading countries in the international chess arena.