Uzbek grandmaster Javokhir Sindarov won the bronze medal at the Sinquefield Cup 2026 tournament, which was held in St. Louis. He finished the competition with 5 points out of nine games. Despite strong play, the 20-year-old athlete could not score the missing 0.5 point to qualify for the Grand Chess Tour final.
Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz)
The Sinquefield Cup was the fifth and final stage of the Grand Chess Tour, in which 10 leading grandmasters participated. The total prize fund for the tournament was 475,000 US dollars, and all participants played in a round-robin format.
Sindarov started the tournament with a draw against Levon Aronian, followed by his only loss against Ramesh babel Praginanandhi from India, losing an endgame of a pawn game lasting 95 moves. Subsequently, he achieved four consecutive draws against Maxim Vachier-Lagrave, Anish Giri, Sam Sevian, and Fabiano Caruana.
In the game against Caruana, who ranked second in the world, Sindarov managed to neutralize a dangerous passed pawn, allowing him to secure a draw and earn 2.5 points after six rounds.
Tournament progression
The seventh round brought a turning point in the tournament: Sindarov, playing the black pieces, used the Benko Gambit to defeat German grandmaster Vincent Keimer after Keimer made an error in the endgame under time pressure. Then, Sindarov defeated Jordan van Foreest in the eighth round, marking two consecutive victories and raising his score to 4.5 points before the final day.
In the final round, Sindarov needed a win with the black pieces against Wesley So to claim the title, but the game ended in a draw. So and Praginanandhi shared first place in classical play with a score of 5.5 points, leading to a playoff. After two draws in rapid games, So won the decisive Armageddon game while playing black and claimed the title, along with the first-place prize of 87,500 US dollars.
Thus, Sindarov concluded the Sinquefield Cup with two wins, six draws, and one loss, earning 5 points and finishing in third place.
Before the event, Sindarov was ranked fifth overall in the Grand Chess Tour standings with 20.5 points, trailing Keimer by only 0.5 points. Previously, he had taken second place in the Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz series stage, losing to Praginanandhi. The Grand Chess Tour finals featured Praginanandhi, Wesley So, Fabiano Caruana, and Vincent Keimer, while Sindarov was 0.5 points outside the top four qualification zone.
In 2026, Sindarov won the FIDE Candidates Tournament, earning the right to challenge reigning World Champion Domaraj Gukesh for the World Chess Championship. The Uzbek grandmaster is scheduled to participate in the fourth season of the Global Chess League, which will take place from September 3, 2026, to September 13, 2026, in Bangalore, where he will compete as the main player for the FYERS American Gambits team.