From October 31 to November 27, the Chess World Cup is taking place in Goa, India, where Uzbek grandmasters Nodirbek Yakubboev and Javokhir Sindarov have amazed fans by reaching the semifinals. This is a significant achievement for the country, as one of the chess players is guaranteed to play in the final of the tournament and will have the opportunity to participate in the Candidates Tournament-2026, where a new contender for the world championship title will be determined.
The World Cup is organized in a knockout format, which involves two days of classical games, and in the event of a tie, tiebreaks, including Armageddon. The competition features 206 participants, with a total prize fund of 2 million dollars.
As for the performances of the Uzbek grandmasters:
Nodirbek Yakubboev achieved victories over opponents from Germany, the Czech Republic, India, and Armenia, becoming the fourth chess player in the country with a rating above 2700 and one of the leading members of the national team.
Javokhir Sindarov successfully passed his opponents from Montenegro, Greece, China, and Germany. His toughest match was in the quarterfinals, where he managed to win in rapid chess after losing in the classical game.
The semifinals will feature a unique Uzbek derby, where Yakubboev will meet Sindarov. The second semifinal will take place between Wei Yi from China and Andrey Esipenko from Russia.
The achievements of Yakubboev and Sindarov have become some of the most outstanding successes of Uzbek chess players in recent years, reminiscent of the triumph of Rustam Kasimdzhanov, who became the FIDE world champion in 2004.
