Javohir Sindarov Becomes the First Uzbek in History to Reach the Chess World Cup Final
Sport
Javohir Sindarov has made chess history for Uzbekistan by reaching the 2025 FIDE World Cup final and securing a place in the 2026 Candidates Tournament. He defeated fellow Uzbek grandmaster Nodirbek Yakubboyev in the semifinal.
The FIDE World Cup 2025 continues in Goa, India, determining the players who will qualify for the next Candidates Tournament for the world championship title. The semifinal turned into a true Uzbek derby, with Javohir Sindarov facing Nodirbek Yakubboyev.
In a tense match, Sindarov prevailed with a score of 2.5–1.5, earning his spot in the final and becoming the first Uzbek player in history to qualify for the Candidates Tournament.
Sindarov will face Chinese grandmaster Wei Yi in the championship match.
Nodirbek Yakubboyev will compete for third place against Andrey Esipenko, who plays under a neutral flag. The winner of that match will also qualify for the 2026 Candidates Tournament.
The Candidates Tournament 2026 will take place from March 28 to April 16 in Cyprus. The list of confirmed participants includes:
Fabiano Caruana (USA), Anish Giri (Netherlands), Matthias Bluebaum (Germany), Hikaru Nakamura (USA), Javohir Sindarov (Uzbekistan), Wang Yue (China).
The winner of the current World Cup will face the reigning world champion, India’s Gukesh Dommaraju.
In a tense match, Sindarov prevailed with a score of 2.5–1.5, earning his spot in the final and becoming the first Uzbek player in history to qualify for the Candidates Tournament.
Sindarov will face Chinese grandmaster Wei Yi in the championship match.
Nodirbek Yakubboyev will compete for third place against Andrey Esipenko, who plays under a neutral flag. The winner of that match will also qualify for the 2026 Candidates Tournament.
The Candidates Tournament 2026 will take place from March 28 to April 16 in Cyprus. The list of confirmed participants includes:
Fabiano Caruana (USA), Anish Giri (Netherlands), Matthias Bluebaum (Germany), Hikaru Nakamura (USA), Javohir Sindarov (Uzbekistan), Wang Yue (China).
The winner of the current World Cup will face the reigning world champion, India’s Gukesh Dommaraju.
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