5/4 points marks the fastest ever under the double-round format. 5 points. In the women's Candidates tournament, Vaishali Rameshbabu, a 24-year-old from India, emerged victorious, with Bibisara Assaubayeva of Kazakhstan placing second.
Assaubayeva is also Sindarov's girlfriend. The date and venue for the world championship match between Sindarov and Dommaraju have not been announced. This follows Magnus Carlsen's abdication of the classical world chess crown in 2023; Carlsen had stated he would only defend it against Alireza Firouzja.
A potential match between Carlsen and Sindarov could raise up to $10 million, though it remains unclear whether Carlsen could be persuaded to compete again in classical chess. Other notable players included Fabiano Caruana, the world No. 3 and US champion, who defeated China's Wei Yi in 19 moves.
Hikaru Nakamura, the world No. 5/4 points and no wins. Sindarov, who became a grandmaster at 12 years and 10 months old, previously defeated Alireza Firouzja at the 2021 World Cup, and his home country Uzbekistan won gold at the 2022 Chess Olympiad ahead of India and the US.