In chess, the downside of a sensational result is that it makes it harder for a player to sneak up on his next opponent.
GM Javokhir Sindarov is the toast of the chess world after the 20-year-old Uzbek star stunningly won the recent FIDE Candidates Tournament, earning a title shot against Indian world champion GM Dommaraju Gukesh later this year. Sindarov was ranked only fifth in the stellar, eight-grandmaster Candidates field, but his play was a revelation, showcasing superb opening preparation, imaginative positional play, and steady nerves in the few games where he was challenged.
His first outing in the wake of that triumph was a very different story: Sindarov lost both his 10-minute rapid matches in the Chess.com Playoffs knockout tournament last week, failing to advance past the preliminary rounds. Former world champ GM Magnus Carlsen of Norway, still the planet’s highest-rated player despite voluntarily surrendering the classical chess crown in 2023, captured the title in a tense final with Polish GM Jan-Krzysztof Duda.
The result may not be a bad omen for the Gukesh match. Sindarov can fairly plead fatigue after the arduous Candidates battles last month, and the 10-minute-per-game time control is a very different animal compared to chess at longer classical time controls.
But Sindarov will clearly have to adjust to a new world where every player he faces will be bringing his A game to the chessboard.
In his match against Russian star GM Daniil Dubov, Sindarov committed several oversights that were absent from his play at the Candidates, going down to a 3-0 loss and repeatedly spoiling promising positions. In the second match game, Dubov on the Black side of a Two Knights Defense accepts doubled central pawns in exchange for what will prove a highly useful half-open f-file.
Black’s mounting pressure on the f2-square pays off in spades after a defensive lapse from White: 21. dxe5 !? (it’s tempting to isolate Black’s doubled e-pawns, but more flexible here were 21. Bc1 and 21. Kh1, keeping the central tension in place) Nfxe5 22. Nfxe5 Nxe5 23. Nxe5 dxe5 24. Qc4?! (the queen will soon be recalled for defensive duties; better was 24. Be3, solidifying the position) Bh4 25. Be3 Rf3 26. Kf1 Rf7 27. Rd2 Ref8 (see diagram; now 28. Ree2 Bg5 29. Bxg5 Qxg5 30. f3 leaves White no worse than equal) Bc5? Qg3!.
White has enough in his arsenal to protect the pawn on f2, but Dubov’s move opens up an unexpected new line of attack: 29. Qe2 (Bxf8?? Rxf2+ 30. Rxf2 Qxf2 is mate, while Black also wins after 29. Ree2 Qh2 30. Re1 Qh1+ 31. Ke2 Rxf2+ 32. Bxf2 Rxf2+ 33. Kd3 Rxd2+ 34. Kxd2 Qxe1+ 35. Kc2 Qf2+) Qh2!, and White resigns with no plausible defense to the mate threat on h1; e.g. 30. Qe3 Qh1+ 31. Ke2 Rxf2+ 32. Qxf2 Rxf2+ 33. Bxf2 Qxg2 34. Kd2 Bxf2 35. Ree2 Qf3+ 36. Kc2 Be3 and wins.
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Ukrainian IM Roman Dehtiarov’s stunning upset win in the recent European Individual Championships in Katowice, Poland is a great story with a great backstory.
The 17-year-old Dehtiarov, ranked 126th in the powerful field, fashioned one of the most unexpected results in years with his undefeated 9-2 finish, capturing the 20,000-euro first prize, automatically securing the grandmaster title, gaining nearly 50 rating points and, last but not least, qualifying for the next FIDE World Cup field.
And while many of his chess-playing compatriots — understandably — have left Ukraine in the face of Russia’s invasion four years ago, Dehtiarov chose to stay with his family near the front lines in the besieged city of Kharkiv, according to Ukrainian GM Pavel Eljanov.
Despite the hardships of war and the limited playing opportunities, Dehtiarov won the Ukrainian national championship tournament in 2024 and now has a gold medal as the youngest European individual champion as well. In a post on X, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy hailed the young master’s achievement and said he had presented him with the “Future of Ukraine” award.
Dehtiarov didn’t luck in to his new title, upsetting veteran grandmasters Maxime Lagarde of France and David Anton of Spain in the final two rounds to clinch clear first place.
Against Lagarde in Round 10, Dehtiarov as Black signals his fighting intentions early with 3. Nf3 e4!?, effectively offering up a pawn for quick development and open piece play. By 15. Kg1 Bd6 16. Bd3, White’s rook is marooned on its home square but Black still has yet to fully justify the sacrificed pawn.
Lagarde seems on the verge of cementing his positional edge when a defensive lapse allows Black a punishing tactical shot: 23. g4 Qh4 24. Qd3? (failing to sense the danger; White looks strong after 24. Kf1! Qe7 (Bxh2? 25. Be1! Bg3 26. Qh2! Bxh2 27. Bxh4, and both Black’s bishop and his rook on d8 are under attack) 25. Qd3 g6 26. Nxd6 Rxd6 27. Rg1, with an edge) Bxh2+!, when 25. Rxh2 [Kxh2?? Qf2+ 26. Kxh3 Rh8+ 27. Qh7 Rxh7 mate] loses to 25…Qg3+ 26. Kh1 Qxf3+ 27. Kg1 Re4!, and White must give up his queen to prevent the deadly 28…Rxg4+.
On the game’s 25. Kf1 Bg3 26. Ke2 Re6, Black has restored material equality, created a dangerous passed pawn on the h-file and forced Lagarde’s king to flee. Dehtiarov energetically opens new lines to exploit his advantages, never letting White back into the fight. By 36. Qd4 Re7 37. Kb3, White’s king has reached a safe harbor but the rest of his position is in shambles.
White gives up his imprisoned rook on h1 for the Black h-pawn, but it is too late to rescue his game: 40. Rxh2 Bxh2 41. Qxh2 Rf7 42. Rd1 Qe5! (White’s only asset, his connected central passed pawns, never get going) 43. d6 Rc8 44. Rd3 Rd7 45. Qd2 Rcd8 46. Rd5 Rxd6!, and White resigns facing lines such as 47. Rxe5 Rxd2 48. Rf5 R2d3 49. Kb2 Rh8 50. Rxf4 Rh2+ 51. Kb3 Rhh3, winning the pinned knight.
Sindarov-Dubov, Chess.com Open Playoffs, April 2026
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. d3 Be7 5. O-O d6 6. a4 Be6 7. Bxe6 fxe6 8. c3 O-O 9. b4 a6 10. Re1 h6 11. Nbd2 Qe8 12. Nf1 Nd7 13. h3 Qf7 14. N1h2 Kh8 15. Ng4 Qg6 16. Bd2 Kh7 17. Qe2 a5 18. b5 Nd8 19. d4 Nf7 20. Rad1 Rae8 21. dxe5 Nfxe5 22. Nfxe5 Nxe5 23. Nxe5 dxe5 24. Qc4 Bh4 25. Be3 Rf3 26. Kf1 Rf7 27. Rd2 Ref8 28. Bc5 Qg3 29. Qe2 Qh2 White resigns.
Lagarde-Dehtiarov, European Individual Championship, Katowice, Poland, April 2026
1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Nf3 e4 4. Ng5 c6 5. Ngxe4 Nxe4 6. Nxe4 d5 7. cxd5 cxd5 8. Ng3 h5 9. e3 h4 10. Ne2 Nc6 11. d4 Qf6 12. Nc3 Qg6 13. f3 Bd6 14. Kf2 Bg3+ 15. Kg1 Bd6 16. Bd3 Bf5 17. Bxf5 Qxf5 18. Bd2 O-O-O 19. Rc1 Rhe8 20. a3 Kb8 21. Qc2 Qh5 22. Nb5 h3 23. g4 Qh4 24. Qd3 Bxh2+ 25. Kf1 Bg3 26. Ke2 Re6 27. Rcf1 h2 28. Kd1 Qh3 29. b4 Ne7 30. Nc3 f5 31. g5 f4 32. e4 dxe4 33. fxe4 Qg4+ 34. Kc2 Ng6 35. d5 Ne5 36. Qd4 Re7 37. Kb3 Nf3 38. Qd3 Nxd2+ 39. Qxd2 Qxg5 40. Rxh2 Bxh2 41. Qxh2 Rf7 42. Rd1 Qe5 43. d6 Rc8 44. Rd3 Rd7 45. Qd2 Rcd8 46. Rd5 Rxd6 47. Rxe5 Rxd2 48. Rf5 R2d3 49. Kb2 Rh8 50. Rxf4 Rh2+ 51. Kb3 Rhh3 White resigns.
• Got a hot tip or a cool game to share? David R. Sands can be reached at davidrsands18@gmail.com.
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