Javokhir Sindarov has been turning heads all year. The latest to be impressed? Magnus Carlsen.
Despite his team’s crushing 15-3 defeat at the hands of Alpine APL Pipers at the 2026 Global Chess League, the Uzbek challenger earned rare praise from the Norwegian great after holding him to a solid draw on the Icon board.
Sindarov didn’t allow Carlsen to make any inroads. “Sindarov was very good. He has a very good positional understanding, and he certainly put a lot of pressure on me early in the game,” Carlsen said after the match.
Three of Sindarov’s teammates lost with white pieces, leaving him stranded on the top board. Carlsen called Sindarov a well-rounded player with no apparent weaknesses.