Sindarov has taken over the FIDE Circuit lead with his sweep at the Naroditsky Memorial in Charlotte. The Uzbek grandmaster's double victory, winning both the Super Rapid and Blitz events, gave him enough points to leapfrog his countryman Abdusattorov, who finished runner-up at the Croatia event and earned 9.47 circuit points.
The gap remains tight. Sindarov has competed in five tournaments while Abdusattorov has played four, so there's still room for shifts at the top. Wesley So jumped into fourth place after collecting 7.5 points in Charlotte. Haik Martirosian cracked the top six with a second-place finish at Aix-en-Provence, banking 12.53 points to reach sixth.
Alireza Firouzja has made noise too. Two tournament victories in July put the Iranian back on the radar after stepping away from competitive chess for a time. He's building momentum heading into the second half of the circuit race.
The 2026-2027 season is shaping up as a wide-open battle. Sindarov holds the advantage now, but with multiple tournaments still to play and several players hunting circuit points, the final standings won't be decided anytime soon. The Charlotte results changed the complexion of the race entirely.