Javokhir Sindarov secured the World Chess Candidates title in Cyprus after a draw with his closest rival, Anish Giri, in the penultimate round. The result was enough to clinch the tournament for the 20-year-old Uzbek, who described the event as the toughest week of his life: “Every round was very, very tough… I slept really badly and I’m glad it’s over.”
As Candidates winner, Sindarov will challenge reigning world champion Dommaraju Gukesh of India for the World Chess Championship in late 2026. The match will pit two teenagers from emerging chess nations against each other: Sindarov is 20 and Gukesh 19.
Sindarov, who became a grandmaster at 12, dominated the event from the outset. The turning point arrived in round four when he outplayed Fabiano Caruana, the leading U.S. contender and 2018 world championship runner-up, seized the lead and never gave it up. In the tournament’s first six games Sindarov notched five wins — a level of early dominance unprecedented in modern Candidates events.
His victory is part of a wider shift toward younger top players from outside traditional European powerhouses, particularly from Asia. That trend was visible in the women’s competition in Cyprus as well: India’s Vaishali Rameshbabu won the Women’s Candidates by defeating Russia’s Kateryna Lagno in the final round, earning the right to challenge world champion Ju Wenjun of China.
Uzbekistan is increasingly counted alongside China and India as a chess powerhouse. Rustam Kasimjanov, a former elite Uzbek player and a key figure in the country’s chess development, credited strong young talent and sustained state investment: “The young talents in Uzbekistan are really, really strong.” Kasimjanov is widely regarded as one of the catalysts behind the nation’s recent rise.
Sindarov’s head coach, Roman Vidonyak — Ukrainian-born and Munich-based — has worked with him for about a year. Vidonyak said the team aims for the world title and to cement Sindarov as the generation’s leading player. The primary obstacle will be Gukesh, though Gukesh’s form has eased since he took the world crown in late 2024 and he currently sits outside the top ten, boosting Sindarov’s prospects. Magnus Carlsen remains widely respected as the best player in the world but no longer competes in world championship matches.
Germany provided one notable story in Cyprus in the form of Matthias Blübaum. A surprise qualifier and the first German to play in the Candidates in more than 35 years, Blübaum adopted a cautious approach, steering many games to draws; Sindarov managed only two draws against him. Blübaum lost just twice in the event. “Incredible how confidently Matthias Blübaum plays against the world’s best,” said Ingrid Lauterbach, president of the German Chess Federation. Lauterbach pointed out that with Blübaum and top-10 player Vincent Keymer, Germany is among the few European nations closing the gap with India and Uzbekistan — but she also noted the stark difference made by heavy investment in countries like Uzbekistan and India.
Despite Blübaum’s strong performance, he has not yet attracted the major sponsorship hoped for by Germany’s cash-strapped chess scene. The federation’s tight finances meant Blübaum could bring his coaches to Cyprus only after a crowdfunding campaign.
This article was originally published in German.