Javokhir Sindarov won the 2026 Candidates Tournament in Madrid with a historic 10/14 score, the highest point total in Candidates history under the modern double round-robin format. The 21-year-old Uzbek will challenge the world champion later this year.
His final score of 10/14 broke the previous record and announced him as a generational talent. He went 4/7 in the second half after a near-perfect 6/7 start, finishing two full points ahead of second-placed Hikaru Nakamura on 8/14.
Sindarov beat every other player in the field at least once. He beat Caruana twice, both times with the white pieces in deep theoretical battles. His preparation was on a different level from anything the other seven players brought to Madrid.
Sindarov became emotional at the closing ceremony. He is from Tashkent, like Abdusattorov, and dedicated the win to his family and the Uzbek chess program that has now produced two Candidates qualifiers in three years. "I prepared hard," he said. "But I also believed. You have to believe." The World Championship match date and venue have not yet been announced.