Sindarov On The Candidates: 'I Know It Will Be Very Hard To Win, But I Want To Try'

Twenty-year-old GM Javokhir Sindarov is the youngest of eight participants in the upcoming 2026 FIDE Candidates Tournament, the event that will determine the next challenger to World Champion Gukesh Dommaraju. He qualified in November by winning the 2025 FIDE World Cup, a grueling month-long knockout where he played and won seven matches.

At the 2025 Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Final in South Africa, he sat down with Chess.com to talk about the lifetime achievement of winning that tournament, as well as his upcoming preparations for what will be—so far—the most important tournament of his life, the Candidates. You can watch the video and keep reading for the highlights.

The conversation started with a recap of the World Cup, his most important tournament win to date. Sindarov said that there were many hard matches in the event, but the hardest one—and perhaps the most consequential—was his quarterfinal match against GM Jose Martinez.

This win put him in the Semifinals, which in his mind meant he'd have a 75-percent chance to qualify for the Candidates—because the top-three spots qualified, and there were just four players left. "So I was very happy with this match," he said, as it nearly cemented his entry to the Candidates. Ultimately, Sindarov went all the way and finished first after defeating GMs Nodirbek Yakubboev, who finished fourth and was left out of the Candidates, and Wei Yi.

After two draws against Martinez in classical chess, Sindarov won in rapid tiebreaks. "He played rapid and blitz very good," said Sindarov, who lost the first 15-minute game and had to win on demand to even the score at 2-2.

He then claimed the match by winning the second 10-minute game. He said, "I prepared with White very well and I played a very good game for rapid. In general, I played a very good game and I won this game very well."

You can watch him explain his win over Wei in the final rapid game of the World Cup in our video too.

"Of course, winning the World Cup for sure" was the highlight of the entire year for Sindarov. But he also mentioned that he showed his "best games, my level" at the 2025 Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour 2025 and the 2025 Esports World Cup. His only regret was at the latter, where Wei knocked him out in the Losers Semifinals of Group C. Sindarov said he relaxed after receiving a guarantee of $50,000 just for qualifying, thinking "I can chill." He went on: "That was my problem, I didn't give my best... but you learn from your mistakes." 

As for who supported him along the way, he said, "There is not one person," but listed, "my coach [GM Mukhiddin Madaminov], my friends, my family also, they always support me."

Looking ahead to 2026, winning the Candidates is the goal. Sindarov acknowledged his inexperience, but also said that he's serious about winning the event and potentially becoming world champion.

"I think I want to prepare very good for this tournament and it's my first time to play. I know it will be very hard to win, but I want to try. Everyone has a chance to win this tournament. And it's only one tournament; if your chess was going very well, why not?"

 I know it will be very hard to win, but I want to try. 

—Javokhir Sindarov

He's already had some experience playing elite grandmasters, and he cited his matches against GMs Fabiano Caruana in Weissenhaus and Hans Niemann in the Esports World Cup. Specifically, he talked about handling losses and taking each match one game at a time. Sindarov said:

Some guys after they lose they are tilting and start thinking about if I didn't win I am going out from tournament, but when I lose my game, I was like thinking, okay, don't think about the tournament bracket or something like this, just play your game with White.

While Sindarov is serious about having the chance to play for the world championship title, he also spoke about a lack of time to prepare for the event (though this was in December). He said he's preparing between other tournaments with "one or two" coaches, naming only Madaminov.

He also said he's fairly calm under the circumstances. "I don't feel any pressure because I am very young and I hope it will not be my last Candidates Tournament and I will play many Candidates Tournaments!"

I don't feel any pressure because I am very young!

—Javokhir Sindarov

For him, the two "very big opponents" are the world numbers two and three, GMs Hikaru Nakamura and Caruana. Considering their experience having played previous Candidates Tournaments (it will be a fourth appearance for Nakamura and sixth for the latter), Sindarov said, "Of course they are very strong, so against them it will be a very hard match." 

Sindarov described himself as a "very solid player" usually, but said that in the Candidates you must be unpredictable. His plan, he said, is to "play some interesting openings which surprises your opponents, so I will try to do something, but in general I don't think about this. Only my team works. I should focus on my next tournaments. I will play like four or five tournaments in a row."

Since the interview, Sindarov has only played in one classical event, the 2026 Tata Steel Chess Masters, and has likely been preparing for the Candidates in the interim.

Lastly, he hopes to be a role model, along with the Uzbek number-one GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov. Uzbek number-two (by a more than 50-point margin), Sindarov rose from 37th in the world in January 2025 to 12th in the world on the latest rating list.

He said, "Hopefully, next year I want to see some strong players like me, Abdusattorov in my country, and I want to tell my big good luck for all of them."

What are your predictions for the 2026 FIDE Candidates Tournament and how do you expect Sindarov to do? Let us know in the comments, and check out our other piece about predicting the Candidates winners!