4 min readApr 5, 2026 04:13 PM IST
Javokhir Sindarov is not only making his opponents doubt themselves. The Candidates leader with 5.5/6 is even making engine analysis look ridiculous.
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It so happened that the computer guessing the percentages reckoned a draw as the Wei Yi game, Sindarov’s fifth win, neared the endgame. At the post game press conference, Sindarov, riding a confidence wave, would chuckle, “Wait, I lost my advantage somewhere?”
This was after the FIDE host told him he had lost advantage 5 to 10 moves after he had the Chinese in trouble playing h3 before he played e3. “His position was very hard. I was thinking I’m just winning. It never can be draw,” the 20-year-old remarked.
Wei Yi would say, “Maybe I had some chances to hold but with time trouble and big pressure it’s quite difficult ”
Sindarov saw only rook d6 losing and immediately went to this line. “If you play with rook f3. I played something like this with Arjun (Erigasi) when I had extra pieces. But this endgame is impossible to save,” Sindarov insisted.
The engine – to Sindarov’s mind seemed boggles – right for m a risky Bishop takes f6 earlier. “I don’t like my position after rook d1 rook g6,” Wei ayi would concede.
Sindarov was quick to point out, “This looks fantastic for black. I don’t know why computer likes for white,” as it became a tale of bishop dominating another bishop.
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The Uzbek, staggered by the engine favouring white over his black, explained, “Let’s say bishop on e3 so white should be better but bishop on h4, he can never join the fight. I don’t know. Engine can show everything (anything )but for human it should be zero problem with black.”
When FIDE asked him how he keeps finding these positions or her s Seconds find them out of openings that are very hard for humans, Sindarov said, “Today I just played everything from my mind from move No 4. I mean I’m a dynamic player and I like to play something like this positions. My tournament situation is like…uh I need to play very solid. But if I get chance to play from both sides dynamic positions I will always be very happy,” he said.
While the wins over Fabiano Caruana and Hikaru Nakamura pointed to deep preparation where he anticipated lines till Move 16, against Wei Yi, Sindarov brought out his natural practical-meets-dynamic play. The Uzbek would make SWAT teams with their ‘stay liquid’ motto proud.
After Wei Yi ‘s queen d7 Sindarov thought what he can play to rook d1 and understood end game he cannot press. He played c5. That was the problem after c5 for the Chinese. Black was much better.
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He played h3 and it got very tricky for white. “Yeah I mean computer can show 0:0 but I needed only one or two moves and then I could push this c5 pawn fc6 pawn and you need to do something very fast which is not easy. Probably a mistake to play rook fd1. He needed to play faster bishop h4 queen h5 king h2 f4,” Sindarov told FIDE once again outwitting the engine analysis.
When asked by FIDE if his opponents had begun doubting themselves as a result of his hot streak like Gary Kasparov tweeted, Sindarov said, “Gary has played a lot of tournaments so maybe he knows. But this is the first time I have a good streak like this, my my first tournament. What can I say, I’m happy.
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
