Uzbek chess prodigy Javokhir Sindarov scored 4 out of 6 points in the rapid section of the Grand Chess Tour 2026 opening stage, Super Rapid & Blitz Poland, held in Warsaw on May 5. He is tied for the lead with Fabiano Caruana, Wesley So, Vladimir Fedoseev, and Hans Niemann, all of whom also have 4 points.

Sindarov drew with American Hans Niemann in the first round, defeated Polish grandmaster Radosław Wojtaszek in the second, and drew with another Polish player, Jan-Krzysztof Duda, in the third. Notably, Sindarov and Niemann are the only participants who remain undefeated after the first three games.

Reigning world champion Dommaraju Gukesh managed only 50% after the first day. In the second round, he squandered a winning position against Niemann due to an endgame blunder, allowing a black passed pawn to decide the game, and soon resigned.

On May 6, three more rapid games will be played. Sindarov is scheduled to face Wesley So, Dommaraju Gukesh, and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave. The final three rapid games will take place on May 7, followed by blitz competitions on May 8–9.

In the rapid section, a win earns 2 points, a draw 1 point. In blitz, standard scoring applies: 1 point for a win, 0.5 for a draw. The overall winner of the stage will be determined by the combined points from both formats.

The Warsaw stage kicks off the Grand Chess Tour 2026 series. Participants include Dommaraju Gukesh, Javokhir Sindarov, Fabiano Caruana, Alireza Firouzja, Hans Niemann, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, Jan-Krzysztof Duda, Wesley So, Vladimir Fedoseev, and Radosław Wojtaszek. After Warsaw, the tour continues with a classical tournament in Bucharest, rapid events in Zagreb and St. Louis, and a final in the United States.

Source: www.gazeta.uz