Media365
Uzbekistan’s Javokhir Sindarov carved his name into chess history on Wednesday, outplaying China’s Wei Yi to win the FIDE World Cup and becoming, at 19, the youngest ever champion of the event. The feat capped a remarkable run from the 16th seed, who walked away with USD 120,000 (over Rs 1 crore) after a dominant performance in the final.After Wei Yi opted for a steady draw with white in the first classical game, the second saw Sindarov seize control early. Despite computer evaluations suggesting a balanced Italian Opening, the Uzbek continually tightened the screws, activated his rooks at the right moment, and cracked open Wei’s defences to seal the match 2.5–1.5.
Wei earned USD 85,000 (About Rs 76 lakh) for his runner-up finish and, like Sindarov, booked his ticket to the Candidates. The World Cup result also delivered an extraordinary coincidence. Both the World Cup and Women’s World Cup winners this year—Sindarov and India’s Divya Deshmukh—are 19 and share almost identical birthdays. Divya, who captured the FIDE Women’s World Cup on July 28 and earned the Grandmaster title with it, was born on December 9, 2005. Sindarov was born just a day earlier, on December 8, 2005.They join Andrey Esipenko, who clinched third place with a 2–0 win over fellow Uzbek Nodirbek Yakubboev, alongside Fabiano Caruana, Anish Giri and Matthias Bluebaum.R Praggnanandhaa and Hikaru Nakamura also remain on course to qualify barring improbable disruption.Sindarov’s triumph consolidates Uzbekistan’s rise in global chess, with the youngster now emerging as the nation’s biggest star after Nodirbek Abdusattorov. The result also underlines a shift in the sport’s balance of power as it enters an era where Asian talents are driving the conversation.
