Uzbekistan’s Sindarov makes history as youngest Chess World Cup champion

Panaji: Uzbekistan’s teenage chess prodigy Javokhir Sindarov etched his name into history on Wednesday by becoming the youngest player ever to win the Chess World Cup, defeating China’s Wei Yi in a tense tiebreak finale in Goa.

The tournament saw early exits of several favourites, making Sindarov’s path to the title anything but straightforward. Entering as the sixteenth seed, he faced stiff competition throughout, including a nail-biting semifinal clash against fellow Uzbek Nodirbek Yakubboev, which he won only after tiebreaks.

Both Sindarov and Wei Yi, by reaching the championship round, secured qualification for the 2026 Candidates Tournament. In the final, Sindarov triumphed over Wei in the second 15' + 10" rapid tiebreak, claiming the coveted trophy. His victory marks a significant milestone in youth chess; following D. Gukesh and Divya Deshmukh’s recent world championship wins, Sindarov becomes the third teenager in under a year to capture a major global title.

In the opening match of the final, Wei Yi employed the Petrov Defense, creating a challenging scenario for Sindarov as he played White. The Chinese grandmaster forced a bishop-pawn endgame that offered him a slight edge, but Sindarov defended with precision and patience. After 50 moves, the players agreed to a draw, leading to the rapid tiebreak decider.

Sindarov maintained composure in the high-speed games, outplaying Wei Yi with clarity and confidence to secure the win. The victory earned him $120,000 from the tournament’s $2 million prize fund, marking the most significant achievement of his burgeoning career.

The 11th edition of the FIDE World Cup, which began on October 28 with 206 participants, culminated in Sindarov’s historic triumph after semifinal wins over Yakubboev, while Wei Yi defeated Andrey Esipenko to reach the final.

With IANS inputs