Javokhir Sindarov Becomes First Winner of FIDE’s Best Chess Player Award
Sport
Uzbek grandmaster Javokhir Sindarov has become the first recipient of the new FIDE Excellence Award in the Best Chess Player category. He received the award in Samarkand during the 46th FIDE Chess Olympiad.
.jpg&w=3840&q=75)
FIDE introduced the Excellence Awards in 2026 as a biennial programme recognising achievements during an Olympiad cycle. The inaugural cycle covered the period from September 2024 to August 2026. For each of the 11 categories, a jury selected a shortlist of ten nominees, while the final winners were determined by the FIDE Excellence Awards Panel.
The Best Chess Player (Male) shortlist included Sindarov, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Fabiano Caruana, Magnus Carlsen, Arjun Erigaisi, Alireza Firouzja, Anish Giri, Gukesh Dommaraju, Vincent Keymer and R Praggnanandhaa.
The selection criteria included performances in classical chess, rapid and blitz, rating progress and achievements over the two-year cycle. One of Sindarov’s major results was his victory at the 2025 FIDE World Cup in Goa, India. He became the youngest winner in the tournament’s history and secured qualification for the Candidates Tournament.
In 2026, Sindarov also won the Candidates Tournament in Cyprus. He secured first place with one round remaining, finished unbeaten and scored 10 points from 14 possible. The victory earned him the right to challenge reigning world champion Gukesh Dommaraju for the world title.
The world championship match will be held in Geneva. FIDE initially announced the dates as November 25 to December 15, 2026, but the subsequently approved regulations revised the schedule: the classical games are set for November 24 through December 11, with a tiebreak scheduled for December 12 if required.
The Best Chess Player (Male) shortlist included Sindarov, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Fabiano Caruana, Magnus Carlsen, Arjun Erigaisi, Alireza Firouzja, Anish Giri, Gukesh Dommaraju, Vincent Keymer and R Praggnanandhaa.
The selection criteria included performances in classical chess, rapid and blitz, rating progress and achievements over the two-year cycle. One of Sindarov’s major results was his victory at the 2025 FIDE World Cup in Goa, India. He became the youngest winner in the tournament’s history and secured qualification for the Candidates Tournament.
In 2026, Sindarov also won the Candidates Tournament in Cyprus. He secured first place with one round remaining, finished unbeaten and scored 10 points from 14 possible. The victory earned him the right to challenge reigning world champion Gukesh Dommaraju for the world title.
The world championship match will be held in Geneva. FIDE initially announced the dates as November 25 to December 15, 2026, but the subsequently approved regulations revised the schedule: the classical games are set for November 24 through December 11, with a tiebreak scheduled for December 12 if required.
Powered by Froala Editor