Uzbek grandmaster Javokhir Sindarov played a draw against Romanian Bogdan-Daniel Deac in the first round of the Superbet Chess Classic Romania 2026 tournament in Bucharest. This is Sindarov's first classical game since his victory at the Candidates Tournament.

Playing with black pieces, Sindarov opted for the King's Indian Defense, but Deac quickly forced a queen exchange. The game proceeded peacefully and ended in a draw. All games of the first round ended in draws.

In the second round, Sindarov will play with white pieces against Indian grandmaster Rameshbabu Pragnanandhaa. At the Candidates Tournament, the Uzbek player defeated Pragnanandhaa twice.

At the opening ceremony, world championship contender Javokhir Sindarov met former world champion Garry Kasparov. This meeting attracted significant attention in the chess community.

The Grand Chess Tour is a series of tournaments, including stages in Poland, Romania, Croatia, and the USA. Each tournament has its own winner and prize fund, with results contributing to the overall standings.

The Super Chess Classic Romania tournament runs from May 14 to May 24 in Bucharest. The format is a round-robin with 10 participants. The total prize fund is $475,000.

Participants include Fabiano Caruana, Vincent Keymer, Alireza Firouzja, Anish Giri, Wesley So, Rameshbabu Pragnanandhaa, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, Javokhir Sindarov, Bogdan-Daniel Deac, and Jorden van Foreest.

Source: www.gazeta.uz