Grandmaster Javhohir Sindarov demonstrated successful participation in the fourth season of the Tech Mahindra Global Chess League—one of the world's leading franchised chess leagues. He secured the position of the most effective player on the Icon Board, which is designated for franchise leaders.
Support from the National Bank of Uzbekistan ensured the organization of international events, tournament preparation, and coaching for Javhohir Sindarov. The Global Chess League tournament took place in Bangalore, India, from September 5 to 13. Six teams participated, each comprising one Icon, two Superstar Men category players, two Superstar Women players, and one Prodigy. This was Sindarov's first appearance on the Icon board, having previously competed in the Prodigy and Superstar categories.
The team FYERS American Gambits included Sindarov, as well as Daniil Dubov, Nihal Sarin, Bibisara Asaubayeva, Sara Hadem, and Mark'Andrija Maurici. Shrinath Narayanan served as the coach for this team.
Best result among Icons
During the regular phase, each team played ten games. All six members of one team played with the same color. Four game points were awarded for a black win, three for a white win, and one point for a draw for each side. The team that achieved a higher score in the match received three match points. Time control was set at 20 minutes plus an additional two seconds starting from the forty-first move.
Over ten rounds, Sindarov achieved five wins, three draws, and two losses. Under standard scoring, this equates to 6.5 points out of ten. However, according to the GCL system, the Uzbek grandmaster brought 20 points to his team, surpassing the performance of all other Icon Board players.
Sindarov defeated five-time World Champion Vishwanathan Anand twice, and also won against Alireza Firouzja, Ian Nepomniachtchi, and Maxim Vashchuk-Lagrave. He drew with Firouzja, Magnus Carlsen, and Vashchuk-Lagrave, and lost to Nepomniachtchi and Carlsen.
For comparison, Carlsen scored 18 game points over 10 regular-stage matches under the GCL system, while tournament winner Ian Nepomniachtchi scored 15. Thus, Sindarov finished the group stage with the best result among the six top boards. He also ranked third in total points among all participants after Stavroula Tsolakidi from Greece (21.5) and Nihal Sarin from India (21).
Sindarov's victories in the second half of the tournament were particularly significant for American Gambits. On September 8, Sindarov defeated Anand again with the black pieces, and the next day he beat Firouzja. This game was the only decisive one in the match against Triveni Continental Kings and helped FYERS secure a victory with a score of 8:5.
On September 10, Sindarov defeated Nepomniachtchi. That day, American Gambits crushed the future champions Ganges Grandmasters with a score of 13:5; besides the Uzbek, Dubov, Asaubayeva, and Maurici won games. After eight matches, the teams FYERS, Alpine APL Pipers, and Ganges Grandmasters each had 15 match points, with American Gambits and Alpine having equal 73 Game Points.
In the penultimate round, American Gambits lost to Alpine APL Pipers with a score of 7:9. Carlsen, playing white, defeated Sindarov, thus interrupting his streak of three consecutive wins.
Before the final match, the Uzbek's team still had a chance to reach the final. In the decisive confrontation with CheQ Mumba Masters, Sindarov fulfilled his task on his board by defeating Maxim Vashchuk-Lagrave with the black pieces, bringing four points to the team. Nevertheless, FYERS lost the match with a score of 6:11. Specifically, Nihal Sarin, who held an advantage against Pranesh, lost due to time pressure in the clock.
As a result, American Gambits finished the regular stage in third place, accumulating 15 match points and 86 game points. CheQ Mumba Masters achieved the same number of match points but had 85 game points. Ganges Grandmasters and Alpine APL Pipers advanced to the final, both receiving 18 match points.
On September 13, FYERS and Mumba Masters played two matches for third place. American Gambits won both encounters with scores of 3.5:2.5 and 4:2. Sindarov drew with Vashchuk-Lagrave in both of these games. Nihal Sarin and Mark'Andrija Maurici made the main contribution to the success, winning two games each. Overall, American Gambits suffered only one loss across the 12 boards.
Sindarov's successful performance also positively impacted his online rapid rating. In the official FIDE rating for September, his rating stood at 2732 points. After defeating Firouzja, his calculated score rose to 2742.6 points, which is 10.6 points higher than the initial value. At that time, Sindarov climbed four positions, moving from sixth to second place in the world ranking, trailing only Magnus Carlsen.
Ganges Grandmasters were crowned the winners of the Global Chess League 2026. The first final against the reigning champions Alpine APL Pipers ended in a 3:3 draw, and in the second, Ganges won 4:2. One of the key moments was the confrontation between Nepomniachtchi and Carlsen on the Icon Board.
Final podium standings: Ganges Grandmasters—first place, Alpine APL Pipers—second place, FYERS American Gambits Javhohir Sindarov—third place.