FIDE Circuit 2026–2027: Sindarov moves into the lead
Javokhir Sindarov overtook his countryman Nodirbek Abdusattorov in the FIDE Circuit 2026–2027 race following his double victory at the Naroditsky Memorial in Charlotte, USA. Abdusattorov picked up 9.47 points for his runner-up finish at the 2026 Super Rapid and Blitz Croatia, but it was not enough to preserve his lead. It should be noted that Sindarov’s score is the sum of five tournaments, whereas Abdusattorov has played four. Wesley So gained 7.5 circuit points in Charlotte and climbed to the fourth position, while Haik Martirosian earned 12.53 points for his second-place finish at the Open International d’Aix-en-Provence to reach sixth place in the race. Alireza Firouzja made his presence felt after two impressive tournament victories in July. Following his triumphs at the Super Rapid and Blitz Croatia and the Quantbox Chennai Grand Masters, the Iran-born Frenchman broke into the top 10. With just two events counting toward the race so far, he is poised to be a serious contender for the top position in the standings. Arjun Erigaisi also recorded two strong performances in July: his shared fourth place in the III International Chess Tournament UzChess Cup – Masters and a third-place finish at the Quantbox Chennai Grand Masters also propelled him into the top 10. Just outside the top 10, we see the surge of Andrew Hong, the winner of the Aktobe Open 2026 Vladimir Dvorkovich Memorial, and Mukhiddin Madaminov, who triumphed in the III International Chess Tournament UzChess Cup – Masters. August will be an important month, as the top three in the open Circuit standings as of 1 September 2026 qualify for the Total Chess pilot event. In the women’s Circuit, the Asian Women’s Rapid and Blitz Championships 2026 – the only two events counting toward the race in July – minimally affected the order at the top, with Bibisara Assaubayeva maintaining her lead over Zhu Jiner and Vaishali Rameshbabu. For more information, visit the official webpages for the FIDE Circuit 2026-27 and FIDE Women’s Circuit 2026-27.