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Javokhir Sindarov
Biography
Javokhir Sindarov was born on 8 December 2005 in Tashkent, the eldest of four brothers in a chess-playing family; his younger brother Islombek is also a competitive player. Javokhir earned the International Master title in October 2017 and, less than a year later, completed his grandmaster requirements in October 2018 at 12 years, 10 months and 8 days old, making him the second-youngest grandmaster in history at the time (the title was formally ratified by FIDE in 2019).
As a teenager Sindarov built a results record well beyond his years: 9th place at the 2014 World Junior Chess Championship as a child prodigy, a runner-up finish at the same event in 2018, and a giant-killing win over world No. 8 Alireza Firouzja at the 2021 FIDE World Cup. In 2022, aged 16, he was the youngest member of the Uzbekistan squad that won team gold at the 44th Chess Olympiad in Chennai, scoring 6½/10 on board three. Further open-tournament results followed, including 8th at the 2023 FIDE Grand Swiss and 4th, undefeated, at the 2023 Qatar Masters.
Sindarov's career reached a new level in November 2025, when he won the FIDE World Cup in Almaty, beating Wei Yi in the final to become, at 19 years and 11 months, the youngest World Cup champion in the event's history — and the first from Uzbekistan. The title carried a place in the 2026 Candidates Tournament, which he won in Cyprus with a round to spare on a record 10/14 score, earning the right to challenge reigning World Champion Gukesh Dommaraju for the title later in 2026.
Key achievements
- Won the 2026 Candidates Tournament with a record 10/14 score, earning a World Championship match against Gukesh Dommaraju
- Won the 2025 FIDE World Cup, becoming the youngest World Cup champion in history at age 19
- Became the second-youngest grandmaster in history in October 2018, aged 12
- Team gold with Uzbekistan at the 44th Chess Olympiad, Chennai 2022 (board 3, 6½/10)
- Defeated world No. 8 Alireza Firouzja at the 2021 FIDE World Cup as a lower-rated outsider
Ratings
| Date | Milestone | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 2018 | Completed grandmaster requirements, age 12 (second-youngest ever) | — |
| 2022 | Chess Olympiad rating, Chennai (board 3) | 2629 |
| 2024 | Chess Olympiad rating, Budapest (board 3) | 2677 |
| Nov 2025 | Won the FIDE World Cup — youngest champion in its history | — |
| Sep 2026 | Current rating — world No. 4 | 2778 |
Titles
| Title | Years | Count |
|---|---|---|
| IM | International Master, awarded Oct 2017 | — |
| GM | Grandmaster, completed Oct 2018 (age 12), ratified 2019 | — |
| World Cup | FIDE World Cup champion, 2025 — youngest ever | 1× |
Classical Tournaments
| Year | Tournament | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | World Junior Chess Championship | 9th |
| 2018 | World Junior Chess Championship | 2nd |
| 2023 | FIDE Grand Swiss | 8th (7/11) |
| 2023 | Qatar Masters Open | 4th (6½/9) |
| 2024 | UzChess Cup Masters | 5th |
| 2025 | FIDE World Cup, Almaty | 1st |
| 2026 | Candidates Tournament, Cyprus — record 10/14 | 1st |
Team Events
| Year | Event (Board) | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Chess Olympiad, Chennai (board 3) — team gold | 6½/10 |
| 2023 | Asian Games, Hangzhou (board 2) — team bronze | 6/8 |
| 2024 | Chess Olympiad, Budapest (board 3) | 5/10 |
Source: OlimpBase (olimpbase.org) individual Olympiad records, cross-checked with Wikipedia.
Read more on Wikipedia or view his FIDE profile.