Javokhir Sindarov will play in St. Louis in his last tournament before the world championship match

Four grandmasters from the top 7 of the world ranking

On October 27, the Clutch Chess: Champions Showdown 2026 chess tournament kicked off in St. Louis, featuring Uzbekistan's grandmaster Javokhir Sindarov. The competition will run until October 29, reports Gazeta. Alongside Sindarov, Americans Hikaru Nakamura and Fabiano Caruana, as well as India's Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa, will fight for victory.

A strong line-up and rapid rating

All four participants are among the seven strongest chess players in the world by the October 2026 FIDE classical rating: Nakamura is second (2792), Caruana third (2784), Sindarov fourth (2782), and Praggnanandhaa seventh (2763). Moreover, it is precisely in rapid — the tournament's format — that Sindarov holds the highest rating among the participants: 2747 versus 2738 for Nakamura, 2730 for Praggnanandhaa and 2682 for Caruana. This gives grounds to consider the Uzbek one of the favorites in this format, although the tournament distance is short — only three playing days.

A format with growing value of wins

The participants will play 18 rapid games — six daily, with each facing the others six times. The time control is 10 minutes with a five-second increment per move; games begin at 22:00 Tashkent time. The main feature is the scoring system, in which the value of wins grows each day: on October 27 a win is worth 1 point, on the 28th — 2, and on the 29th — 3 points (a draw is worth 0.5, 1 and 1 point respectively). This means that even a player trailing after the first two days keeps a chance for first place — the final day's games decide the outcome. If points are equal, the winner will be determined by an Armageddon tiebreak.

Prize fund and bonuses

The total prize fund is $425,000: the winner will receive a guaranteed $125,000, the runner-up $94,000, third place $72,000, and fourth place $62,000. Each win carries a bonus — $1,000 on the first day, $2,000 on the second and $3,000 on the third. Money for drawn games accumulates in a special Champion's Jackpot fund, which additionally goes to the winner. Broadcasts are available on Chess.com (English), City Chess (Russian) and UzChess (Uzbek).

A general rehearsal before Geneva

For the 20-year-old Sindarov, this is his last tournament before the world championship match against the reigning titleholder D. Gukesh. The chess player himself confirmed this in an address to fans published by the Saint Louis Chess Club: 'This is my last tournament before the world championship match.' Speaking to journalists, he assessed his chances of winning the match at 50.1% and Gukesh's at 49.9%. The match will take place from November 22 to December 12 in Geneva: up to 14 classical games, with the first on November 24; if the score is tied, the champion will be decided in a tiebreak on December 12. Since both participants will be 20 years old at the time of the match, their showdown will become the youngest world championship match in chess history.