This marked Javokhir Sindarov’s first defeat in classical chess in the last eight months. His previous loss in the format came in September 2025 against Ivan Cheparinov during the third round of the FIDE Grand Swiss 2025 held in Samarkand.
Just a month after storming through the Candidates Tournament unbeaten, Uzbek sensation Javokhir Sindarov was brought back down to earth by Indian grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa in the second round of the Super Chess Classic 2026. The 20-year-old, who had dominated the grueling 14-round Candidates event without suffering a single loss, faced a tough setback in Romania as Praggnanandhaa outplayed him in a memorable clash.
This defeat marked Javokhir Sindarov’s first classical loss in eight months. The Uzbek prodigy’s previous defeat in the format came in September 2025 against Bulgaria’s Ivan Cheparinov during the third round of the FIDE Grand Swiss 2025 in Samarkand. Since then, Sindarov had enjoyed an unbeaten run through the FIDE World Cup and the Candidates Tournament before finally being stopped in Romania.
Playing with the white pieces, Javokhir Sindarov resigned after 42 moves in a game where he spent long stretches under severe time pressure. The Uzbek star was already down material as early as move eight and found himself a knight behind from move 22 onward.
The engine evaluation consistently favored R Praggnanandhaa from around move 17, although Sindarov defended stubbornly to stay in the contest. However, the world championship challenger’s resistance finally cracked on move 36 when he played the inaccurate rook move Re3 — a mistake that ultimately proved decisive and paved the way for Praggnanandhaa’s victory.
“This is the first calculation mistake I have seen Javokhir Sindarov commit in quite some time, frankly,” remarked Peter Svidler during the live commentary on the Saint Louis Chess Club YouTube broadcast.
WATCH: R Praggnanandhaa speaks to the Saint Louis Chess Club after his win over Sindarov
At the Candidates Tournament in Cyprus, where Javokhir Sindarov looked virtually unstoppable, the Uzbek prodigy had beaten R Praggnanandhaa in both of their encounters before eventually booking a World Championship showdown against India’s D Gukesh.
However, since his triumph in Cyprus, Javokhir Sindarov has struggled to recreate that same aura of invincibility. Just last week at the Super Rapid & Blitz Poland 2026, reigning world champion D Gukesh managed to beat him in a rapid game, although Sindarov bounced back by winning both of their blitz encounters.
Now, R Praggnanandhaa has added another chapter to their growing rivalry, a contest that stretches back to their battles in age-group world championships.
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