Twenty-year-old Uzbek grandmaster Javokhir Sindarov dominated the 2026 FIDE Candidates Tournament in Cyprus, securing victory with a round to spare and earning a world championship match against reigning champion Gukesh Dommaraju. In the women's event, India's Vaishali Rameshbabu clinched the title on the final day despite starting as the lowest seed. The tournaments highlighted the rise of young talents from India and Uzbekistan.
Javokhir Sindarov claimed the open section of the FIDE Candidates with a record-breaking 10/14 score, surpassing previous marks set in similar formats. He raced to 6/7 in the first half, defeated Fabiano Caruana in round four to take the sole lead, and held firm despite challenges, including from Caruana later on. Sindarov told FM Mike Klein, 'In my opinion here I played chess better than everyone!' He pocketed €170,000 and now prepares for a November-December title match against 20-year-old Gukesh, set to be the youngest ever world championship clash by combined age. 'I just try to enjoy the moment, enjoy life, and play good chess, and everything works well,' Sindarov said of his approach, which included video games and padel alongside chess. Anish Giri finished second with €130,000 in total prizes, calling his performance 'epic' despite missing qualification. Caruana took third after a strong start but faltered with losses to Hikaru Nakamura and Giri. Nakamura, the top seed, lost rating points after early defeats, while Matthias Bluebaum impressed by not losing to Sindarov. Vaishali Rameshbabu overcame a shaky start, including losses to Zhu Jiner, to win the women's Candidates outright in the final round against Kateryna Lagno. As the lowest-rated entrant, she gained 26 points and €65,400, earning a shot at five-time champion Ju Wenjun. 'When I lost to Zhu Jiner I felt, O.K., we're back to normal now!' Vaishali said. The event went to the wire, with six players leading at points except Tan Zhongyi; Bibisara Assaubayeva took second. Uzbekistan's president called to congratulate Sindarov, underscoring his nation's chess ascent alongside India's.
