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Javokhir Sindarov secured overall victory at the Candidates Tournament in Cyprus with a composed draw against Anish Giri in round thirteen.
The 20-year-old from Tashkent needed only a draw to guarantee first place and qualification for a World Championship match against Gukesh Dommaraju later this year. He approached the decisive game in the same manner that had characterised his tournament throughout: well-prepared, confident, quick in his decisions and willing to rely on solid, practical play.
Out of the opening, Giri obtained a slightly more active position and appeared to have some chances to generate opportunities, but Sindarov neutralised the threats without difficulty. The game soon simplified into a rook endgame in which White had no realistic winning chances. Giri continued probing for a while, but Sindarov secured the draw without problems, thereby clinching tournament victory with a round to spare.
Isai Scheinberg, one of the tournament's main sponsors, makes the opening move in the marquee matchup of the day | Photo: ChessBase / Nils Rohde
Sindarov's result in Cyprus stands out in the context of the modern Candidates format. After thirteen rounds, he has scored six wins and seven draws, already achieving the highest number of wins since the double round-robin format was introduced in 2013. If he draws his final-round game against Wei Yi, he will also record the highest overall score in this era of the Candidates. For now, he has already matched the 9½-point total achieved by Ian Nepomniachtchi in Madrid 2022.
The champion's performance has been balanced across both colours, with three wins each with white and black. Over the course of the tournament, he has defeated five of his seven opponents at least once, beating Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu twice, while only Matthias Bluebaum and Giri managed to hold him to two draws.
Sindarov's rating progress has also been significant. During the event, he has gained 30.5 rating points, climbing to fifth place in the live ratings list, only behind Magnus Carlsen, Hikaru Nakamura, Fabiano Caruana and compatriot Nodirbek Abdusattorov. At present, he holds a 43-point rating lead over world champion Gukesh, who has had a difficult start to the year in terms of results.
Unlike some of his contemporaries, Sindarov's rise to the top level was gradual rather than rapid. After earning the grandmaster title and crossing the 2500 mark in 2018, he required more than three years to break the 2600 barrier, which he achieved in December 2021. A further two years passed before he surpassed 2700, briefly reaching 2701 in December 2023.
Sindarov's breakthrough year came in 2025: he began the year rated 2692 and finished it at a then career-high 2726. Two classical events proved decisive. At the FIDE Grand Swiss, he scored 6½/11, finishing 1½ points behind Giri, who won the event. The defining moment came at the FIDE World Cup, where Sindarov remained unbeaten in classical games and went on to win the title, defeating Wei Yi in the final to secure his place in the Candidates.
The rook endgame is drawn - Anish Giri and Javokhir Sindarov | Photo: FIDE / Niki Riga
Fully focused | Photo: FIDE / Niki Riga
Sharing a laugh with press officer Zachary Saine | Photo: FIDE / Michal Walusza
The remaining games of round thirteen produced three draws and one decisive result. Hikaru Nakamura was unable to generate pressure with the white pieces against Bluebaum. After 18 moves, a closed position arose in which White found it difficult to make progress. Nakamura continued to probe for a while, but unsuccessfully, and the game ended in a draw on move 42.
The result marked Bluebaum's twelfth draw in thirteen games - a remarkably consistent performance against elite opposition.
Matthias Bluebaum | Photo: FIDE / Niki Riga
In the game between Fabiano Caruana and Praggnanandhaa, the US grandmaster once again obtained a promising position out of the opening. In a well-known line of the Nimzo-Indian Defence, Caruana introduced a new concept and soon reached a clearly advantageous position, one that appeared close to winning.
However, as has happened in several of his recent games, he was unable to maintain control, and the advantage slipped away. The game eventually ended in a draw, reflecting a tournament in which Caruana began strongly but has struggled to convert favourable positions in the later rounds.
Fabiano Caruana | Photo: FIDE / Niki Riga
Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu | Photo: FIDE / Niki Riga
The only decisive result of the round came from Wei Yi, who defeated Andrey Esipenko in a game that combined theoretical interest with tactical complexity. Wei outplayed his opponent over the course of the middlegame, creating pressure through active piece play and eventually converting his advantage convincingly.
Wei Yi and Andrey Esipenko in the post-game press conference | Photo: FIDE / Niki Riga
Johannes Fischer contributed to this report
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