Javokhir Sindarov qualifies for Candidates 2026
The FIDE Candidates Tournament 2026 is an eight-player double round-robin chess tournament scheduled to take place between March 25 and May 1, 2026, to determine the challenger for the World Chess Championship 2026 against reigning champion D. Gukesh. Organized by the Fédération Internationale des Échecs (FIDE), the tournament follows a revamped qualification system introduced in 2024, that follows a merit-based qualification pathways through major events, ratings, and the FIDE Circuit. Unlike any other Candidates Tournaments, there is no automatic spot for the runner-up of the previous Championship (Ding Liren). Cyprus is announced as the host city of the Candidates Chess 2026. The Candidates will be held at the luxury Cap St Georges Hotel & Resort near Paphos, on the south-western coast of Cyprus.
The Candidates Tournament 2026 features eight qualifiers selected through diverse criteria. The Candidates 2026 will consist of the FIDE World Cup Winner, the top two finishers of the FIDE Grand Swiss, the top three finishers of the FIDE World Cup, the FIDE Circuit winners of 2024 and 2025, and one player by Highest average rating (Aug 2025 – Jan 2026).
See Candidates 2026 participants here / Candidates Chess 2026 is in Cyprus
Javokhir Sindarov qualifies for Candidates 2026
The 19 year old Javokhir Sindarov is a the Candidates 2026. He won his semifinal encounter vs Yakubboev, after two draws in the classical part and a victory in the tiebreak at the FIDE World Chess Cup. The semifinal match started with Sindarov applying pressure with black and putting Yakubboev into time trouble. In a complex rook endgame Sindarov prevailed and took the lead.
In game 2, Yakubboev had to risk and win on demand. He tried to mix things up early on, but Sindarov stayed solid and stirred the game to a draw, certifying his qualification to the Candidates.
More about Javokhir Sindarov and his rise to the Candidates
Javokhir Sindarov is an Uzbek chess grandmaster and a chess prodigy, he became a grandmaster at the age of 12 years, 10 months, and 8 days. He is the fourth youngest GMs in history, after Abhimanyu Mishra, Sergey Karjakin, Gukesh Dommaraju.
The history of Javokhir SIndarov at the World Chess Cup begins with the Chess World Cup 2021. Ranked 121st, he caused a major upset by defeating 8th-ranked Alireza Firouzja in tiebreaks in the second round, and made it to the final 32 before being knocked out in the fourth round by Kacper Piorun. In the Chess World Cup 2023, Sindarov again caused a major upset, defeating the tournament’s 10th seed Maxime Vachier-Lagrave in the third round, before being eliminated from the tournament by Arjun Erigaisi. Now in 2025 Javokhir Sindarov won the semifinal. For the first time Sindarov will participate at the Candidates 2026