Uzbek grandmaster and world chess championship challenger Javokhir Sindarov won the 2026 Clutch Chess title in Saint Louis after a dramatic comeback, trailing by 4 points heading into the last day. The 20-year-old went undefeated with three wins and three draws to finish on the third day. In game 17, against World #2 GM Hikaru Nakamura, Sindarov played an absolute masterpiece with black! In a sharp King’s Indian, one of Nakamura’s specialties, Sindarov played no less than three sacrifices, completely demolishing Nakamura’s position and transforming into a winning endgame. I highly recommend watching the whole game! After blowing up white’s position with a bishop sacrifice 23 Bxg4!!, On move 29, Sindarov sacrificed his rook 29Rxg4+!! (ironically on g4 again). Why can’t Nakamura just take the rook with his knight on f2?