Picture credit- Michal Walusza/FIDE
When the FIDE World Cup got underway in Goa, all eyes were on the Indian youngsters. After a month of chess by the beach during which the home challenge gradually faded, a teenager from Uzbekistan had the last laugh. Javokhir Sindarov, 19, edged China Wei Yi in the second tie-break game on Wednesday. He is the youngest player to win the most prestigious knockout event in the world. The two classical games and the first tie-breaker played in the rapid format were drawn.
The experts doing live commentary from the spot were of the view that Sindarov had a slight edge in the last game and was also ahead on the clock. At the same time, they felt it was difficult to convert because Wei was finding the best moves under time pressure to deny his opponent a way in. However, the Chinese, who had knocked out Arjun Erigaisi in the quarterfinals, erred in the end and his opponent was quick to pounce. He had been setting this up and looking for one opening. Once it presented itself, there was no stopping Sindarov.
Sindarov was richer by $120,000, while Wei took home $85,000. These two and Russia’s Andrey Esipenko, who finished third, grabbed the three slots for next year’s Candidates Championship, the World Cup had on offer. R Praggnanandhaa is the lone Indian with a chance of making it to the eight-player, elite event, the winner of which will earn the right to challenge D Gukesh in the World Championship bout.
The commentators had earlier reckoned that Wei had a better chance of winning the title. He is ranked 11th in the world and the Uzbek 25th. Until that last game, he had not suffered a single defeat in Goa. However, as the experts pointed out, for the second time in as many tournaments in India, Wei had to settle for second. His previous visit to the country was for the junior World Championship in 2014, when he finished runner-up.
Sindarov was carrying pleasant memories of India. In Chennai in 2022, he was part of the gold-medal winning Uzbek team in the open section. While the focus this time was more on his famous compatriot Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Sindarov moved up silently. He was one of the two Uzbek semi-finalists in Goa, with Nodirbek Yakubboev, who finished fourth. Uzbekistan are 12th in the world country-wise rankings, where the USA and India occupy the top two spots. This performance led by Sindarov is a confirmation that rankings don’t tell the full story.
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