Sindarov Redefines Dominance in Modern Chess
In an era where chess is increasingly defined by engine preparation and majority draws, Javokhir Sindarov, at 20 years old, has produced a dominance in the Candidates 2026 that feels unnatural. Firstly, theCandidates is a tournament that happens every two years where the top eight players are chosen for a double round robin tournament, where the winner gets the chance to challenge the current world champion for their title. And Javokhir, in his first ever candidates, won the tournament with ten out of fourteen points.
This performance stands out because of modern chess trends. Advanced engines and opening prep have dominated the early phases of the game and have reduced creativity at the highest level. Because of the precise lines and openings, most chess games end in a draw. Statistically, almost 60 percent of the game's in the candidates are a draw. The opening prep of the players takes them to a neutral and simplified position, which, when played perfectly, ends in a draw every time.
Therefore, the only time when the game has a deciding result is if one of the players does not is caught lacking in some weird opening preparation or if the person blunders—which is quite rare inhigh level chess. So, winning six games in fourteen rounds in the hardest tournaments surrounded by players such as Hikaru, Anish, and Fabiano is unheard of.
To even begin to understand how great a performance Javokhir Sidarov had in the tournament, let's start with the record he broke. He broke the record for the highest points ever secured in the candidates, which was nine and a half out of fourteen by Ian Nepomniachtchi. There is an understanding about the candidates that you are almost guaranteed to win if you win five games in fourteen rounds and draw most of the others. In comparison, Sindarov had four wins in the first five rounds. Even Magnus Carlson was surprised,”Nobody expects you to go four and a half out of five. I will be curious to go home and check the games”. He destabilized the entire tournament structure.
His playstyle was confident, dynamic and decisive. He won the candidates statistically with one round to spare and finished the tournament with two points higher than the second place. This is one of the most dominating and impressive tournament performances in the world, which you could argue is on par with the Legendary run of Fabiano Caruana in the 2014 Sinquefield Cup, where he secured seven consecutive wins and finished the tournament with eight and a half out of ten points. After Sindarov’s performance, Fabiano Caruana himself acknowledged the difficulty of Sindarov’s run, saying, “Could I have a dream run like Javokhir did here? I don’t know. Scoring plus six in the Candidates is extremely hard. I believe I’m capable of winning the tournament if I’m in good form, but whether something like that happens, I have no idea.”
With all of this, Sidharav wasn't even favoured to win. Hikaru and Fabiano were the clear pre-tournament favourites. This was a great upset. But his victory points to something larger—it reflects a generational shift in elite chess. Even Nakamura himself admitted this trend, ”So, broadly speaking, it's clear that there is a shift in the generation. I am not having a great tournament, and Fabi is still having a decent result, but it is not what he wanted. I think the trend is going in a direction where chess is getting younger and younger: Javokhir, Gukesh, Vincent, Arjun, and others. Time is running out for the older players like Fabi and me.” This has set the precedent and expectations of the younger generation even higher.
The women’s Candidates, in stark contrast, unfolded as far more equal and uncertain. Anna Muzychuk had a slight lead during the sixth round, but by the eighth round, five players were tied for first with four and a half points. Unlike the open section, where the outcome was almost certain, the women’s section remained uncertain and provoking until the end.
Vaishali Rameshbabu briefly emerged ahead with six points in round ten, but just three rounds later, Bibisara Assaubayeva pulled herself back into the first place tie with seven and a half points. You could feel how quickly the momentum shifted in the women’s field. Even in the last round, there was still a chance of a five way tie. This was the level of competitiveness and closeness the tournament had. The last round was the deciding round. In the end, Vaishali managed to find a critical move, c4, under time pressure. Then she converted a chaotic position into a winning endgame, after which Kateryna Lagno resigned. Vaishali finished with 8.5/14 and is confirmed as a challenger to the world champion's title.
Now, all that's left is the anticipation for the world championship match happening in about six or seven months. This is going to be a great event for the Indian chess fans as both the open and the women's world championship has one indian representative: Gukesh as the defending world champion and Vaishali as the challenger to the women's world champion. The fight between Gukesh Dommaraju and Javokhir Sindarov, and the fight between Vaishali Rameshbabu and Ju Wenjun will be the beginning of the new era of elite chess.
