Uzbek Grandmaster Javokhir Sindarov defeated American Fabiano Caruana on April 1 in the 4th round of the Candidates Tournament. Playing with the white pieces, Sindarov showcased excellent preparation by pre-calculating his opponent's opening moves, which granted him a substantial time advantage. Caruana spent excessive time deliberating, fell into severe time trouble, and resigned with only 48 seconds left on his clock, while Sindarov had over 42 minutes remaining.

Prior to this match, both chess players were tied for the lead with 2.5 points out of 3. After defeating his main competitor, Sindarov accumulated 3.5 points out of 4, securing sole leadership in the tournament. In earlier rounds, he beat Russian Andrey Esipenko, drew with German Matthias Blübaum, and defeated Indian Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa, one of the tournament favorites.

This victory propelled Sindarov up 5 positions in the FIDE online ranking, and with 2759.2 points, he now holds 6th place. The 2026 Candidates Tournament commenced on March 29 in Paphos, Cyprus, and will run until April 15, featuring eight of the world's top chess players. Sindarov is the first Uzbek to qualify for this prestigious event.

The players will contest 14 games over two rounds, meaning 10 rounds remain. The winner, in addition to a monetary prize (€48,000 for first place and €3,500 per half-point scored), will earn the right to challenge the reigning world champion, Indian Dommaraju Gukesh, for the world chess crown. April 2 is a rest day, and on April 3, Sindarov will play with the black pieces against American Grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura.

Source: kun.uz