Sindarov's Incredible Swindle: How the Candidates' Biggest Underdog Won While 'Sleeping'
We wrote about Javokhir Sindarov before the tournament started. We called him the wildcard. We said he could finish last or pull off a shock. We did not expect both to almost happen in the same game.
Round 1 of the 2026 Candidates gave us one of those games that reminds you why chess is the most dramatic sport that doesn't involve physical contact.
The Setup
Sindarov had White against Andrey Esipenko. On paper, a reasonable draw. Both are young, creative players rated within 50 points of each other. Both have something to prove.
What happened in practice was messier.
The Crisis
By move 27, Sindarov was in deep trouble - not on the board, but on the clock. He had six minutes left. Esipenko had thirty. In classical chess, that kind of time deficit is usually a death sentence against a strong opponent.
Sindarov admitted in his post-game interview that he thought he was going to lose. His exact words: "I was thinking this round I will lose." He wasn't playing his best chess. His own assessment was that he was "sleeping" through the game.
The Turning Point
Then Esipenko pushed too hard. Confident with his time advantage and a favorable position, he played aggressively to finish the game quickly. One inaccurate move opened a crack, and Sindarov - still half-asleep by his own admission - found the one sequence of moves that kept him alive.
What followed was a complete role reversal. Sindarov, energized by suddenly having chances, played the final phase brilliantly. Esipenko, shocked by the shift in momentum, couldn't adjust.
The game ended 1-0 to Sindarov.
"Somehow I Wake Up"
Sindarov's post-game interview was one of the most honest and endearing reactions you'll see from a super-GM:
"Today I don't play very well. But after he gives me chances, I think I played really very well. Somehow I wake up today in the game, because before I think I'm just sleeping and playing very badly!"
That self-awareness is unusual at this level. Most players would find a way to spin a win into a story about preparation or strategy. Sindarov just told everyone he played badly, got lucky, and then played great. All in one game.
Into the World Top 10
This win pushed Sindarov into the world top 10 for the first time. He's 20 years old, from Uzbekistan, and he's now ranked among the ten strongest chess players on the planet. A year ago, that sentence would have sounded absurd.
But this is the same player who won the World Cup at 19, beat Magnus Carlsen in freestyle chess on his birthday, and helped Uzbekistan win Olympic gold. The trajectory has been pointing here for a while.
What It Means for the Tournament
Sindarov on 1/1 is significant because of what it does to the field's psychology. The favorites - Caruana, Nakamura, Praggnanandhaa - all prepared extensively for each other. They know each other's games inside out. Sindarov is the X-factor: unpredictable, dangerous, and now riding a wave of confidence from a win he probably shouldn't have gotten.
That's the worst kind of opponent in a 14-round tournament. You can't prepare for someone who wins while sleeping.
For Esipenko, it's a rough start. He had the game in hand and let it slip. Our preview noted his volatility - he can beat anyone on his best day, but consistency is the question. Round 1 did nothing to answer that positively.
Looking Ahead
Sindarov joins Caruana and Praggnanandhaa on 1/1 after a round that produced three decisive games. Whether he can sustain this is the big question. His style is all-or-nothing, and the tournament is 13 more rounds long.
But after Round 1, one thing is clear: sleeping or awake, Sindarov is a threat.
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