Quick facts
| Full name | Javokhir Sindarov |
|---|---|
| Born | 8 December 2005, Tashkent, Uzbekistan |
| Federation | Uzbekistan |
| Title | Grandmaster (2018, aged 12 years, 10 months and 8 days) |
| Classical rating | 2782, world No. 4 (FIDE, November 2026) |
| Biggest wins | FIDE World Cup 2025; FIDE Candidates Tournament 2026 |
| Team | Gold medal with Uzbekistan at the 44th Chess Olympiad (2022) |
| Coach | Roman Vidonyak (since January 2025) |
| Next event | World Championship match vs Gukesh D, Geneva, from November 24, 2026 |
Sources: Wikipedia (birth, title, Olympiad, coach), Chess.com (rating), FIDE (match). If you are new to the title system, see chess titles explained.
How he won the 2026 Candidates
Sindarov did not just win the Candidates. He set its record.
The eight-player double round robin ran in Cyprus from March 28 to April 16, 2026. Sindarov started with a win over Andrey Esipenko, reached 6/7 at the halfway mark, and clinched first place with a round to spare by drawing with Anish Giri in round 13 on April 14 (Chess.com). A quick final-round draw with Wei Yi brought him to 10/14.
| Score | 10/14, 1½ points ahead of Anish Giri |
|---|---|
| Wins / draws / losses | 6 / 8 / 0 |
| Performance rating | 2908 |
| Rating gained | +30.6 |
| Prize | €170,000 |
Final standings and prize from Chess.com’s Candidates conclusions.
Both the six wins and the 10/14 total were records for the Candidates since the double round robin format returned in 2013; the previous best score was Ian Nepomniachtchi’s 9½ in 2022. In round 10 he sacrificed a piece to beat Praggnanandhaa, saying afterwards, “I was ready for a big fight today” (Chess.com). By the end of round 13 he was on a 50-game unbeaten run in classical chess; his last loss had come against Ivan Cheparinov at the 2025 Grand Swiss (Chess.com).
Going into Cyprus, Chess.com noted he was among the favourites after an unbeaten +4 score at the Tata Steel Masters in January 2026 (Chess.com).
The 2025 World Cup: youngest winner ever
The 2025 FIDE World Cup in Goa, India, was a 206-player knockout. Sindarov, the 16th seed, beat his compatriot Nodirbek Yakubboev in the semi-final and China’s Wei Yi in the final, where two classical draws were followed by rapid tiebreaks. On November 26, 2025, aged 19, he became the youngest World Cup winner in the event’s history (ChessBase India; Wikipedia). The win paid $120,000 and, more importantly, a place in the Candidates.
His 2025 prize money from major events, about $350,000, put him tenth on Chess.com’s list of the year’s top earners; see how much chess players make.
Career so far
- 2017 International Master, at 11.
- 2018 Grandmaster at 12 years, 10 months and 8 days, then the second-youngest in history. Later prodigies have pushed that to fifth on the list (ChessBase).
- 2021 At the World Cup, aged 15 and ranked 121st, he knocked out Alireza Firouzja (ChessBase).
- 2022 Olympiad gold with Uzbekistan in Chennai (Wikipedia).
- 2023 Knocked out Maxime Vachier-Lagrave at the World Cup (ChessBase).
- 2025 Began working with coach Roman Vidonyak in January; won the FIDE World Cup in November.
- 2026 Unbeaten +4 at Tata Steel; won the Candidates with a record 10/14 in April; plays Gukesh for the title from November 24.
He is the first player from Uzbekistan to qualify for an undisputed World Championship match (FIDE). On the November 2026 lists he was also world No. 2 in rapid after winning Clutch Chess: Champions Showdown (Chess.com).
Rating history
Sindarov’s classical rating climbed 76 points in 18 months, from 2706 and world No. 31 in May 2025 to 2782 and No. 4 in November 2026.
| FIDE list | Rating | World rank | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 2025 | 2706 | No. 31 | source |
| March 2026, start of the Candidates | 2745 | — | source |
| May 2026 | 2776 | No. 5 | source |
| July 2026 | 2777 | No. 4 | source |
| November 2026 | 2782 | No. 4 | source |
Official monthly FIDE classical ratings as reported by Chess.com; the bars start at 2700 to make the climb visible. To see what a rating gap means in expected points, use the Elo calculator, and for how the numbers are calculated, read how Elo rating works.
Sindarov vs Gukesh
The two have met three times in classical chess, and Sindarov leads 2–0 with one draw: he won at the 2018 Moscow Open and the 2022 Sharjah Masters, and their round-one game at Tata Steel 2026 was drawn (World Chess). Going into Geneva he is rated 72 points higher and ranked 22 places above the champion, the biggest gaps in a title match since 2006 (Chess.com).
The full schedule, format, start times in your time zone and results as they come in are on our World Chess Championship 2026 guide.
FAQ
How old is Javokhir Sindarov?
He was born on 8 December 2005, so he is 20 at the start of the World Championship match and turns 21 on 8 December 2026, the day of Game 12.
What is Sindarov’s rating?
2782 in classical chess on the November 2026 FIDE list, which makes him world No. 4.
Where is Sindarov from?
Tashkent, Uzbekistan. He represents Uzbekistan and won Olympiad gold with its team in 2022.
How did Sindarov qualify for the World Championship?
He won the 2025 FIDE World Cup, which gave him a Candidates place, and then won the 2026 Candidates Tournament in Cyprus with 10/14 and no losses.
When did Sindarov become a grandmaster?
In 2018, at 12 years, 10 months and 8 days, the second-youngest grandmaster in history at that time.
Who is Sindarov’s coach?
He has worked with Roman Vidonyak since January 2025.
Is Sindarov the favourite against Gukesh?
He is the higher-rated player by 72 points, and several top players, including Magnus Carlsen, have called him the favourite. Match play is unpredictable, though, and Gukesh has already won a title match.
Sources and how we checked
- Ratings: Chess.com reports on the official FIDE lists of May 2026, July 2026 and November 2026.
- Candidates 2026: Chess.com conclusions and final standings, round 13, round 10.
- World Cup 2025: ChessBase India final report. Career milestones: ChessBase, “2025: a breakthrough year” and Wikipedia.
- Match: FIDE announcement; head-to-head from World Chess.
- Facts were checked on November 14, 2026. We have not added a game-by-game analysis of his Candidates games yet; when we do, every move and evaluation will be checked with an engine and the settings stated.