Javokhir Sindarov of Uzbekistan has won the eight-player FIDE Candidates Tournament, earning the opportunity to challenge world chess champion Gukesh Dommaraju of India later this year.

Sindarov drew a game against Anish Giri at the tournament venue in Cyprus on Tuesday, “and with one round remaining, Sindarov holds a commanding two-point lead over the rest of the field,” said FIDE, the international governing body of chess.

On the women’s side, Bibisara Asaubayeva of Kazakhstan defeated Ukrainian Anna Muzychuk on Tuesday to move into a tie for first place with India’s R. Vaishali.

The women’s final round on Wednesday “will determine whether there will be an outright winner or a tiebreak will be required,” FIDE said. “Up to six of the eight players still have a theoretical chance to win the event.”

Sindarov, who won the 2025 World Cup in Goa, India, was one of Uzbekistan’s youngest national champions in history, achieving that goal at the age of 13. He is now 20 years old.

Magnus Carlsen of Norway currently doesn’t play in the candidates tournament format even though he is the top-ranked classical chess player in the world.