Uzbekistan's superstar GM Javokhir Sindarov has a nice insurance policy in place for when he visits the Swiss city known for insurance this November.
The 20-year-old Candidates winner, who will be battling for the world title in the match of his life, has moved clear at the top of the 2026–27 FIDE Circuit standings. It puts him in pole position in the race for a place in the 2028 Candidates Tournament, FIDE's crucial World Championship qualifier.
Sindarov leads the Circuit with 93.89 points, ahead of the resurgent American GM Wesley So on 75.35 and fellow Uzbek GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov on 65.64.
He initially took the lead earlier this month after winning both the rapid and blitz tournaments at the Daniel Naroditsky Memorial in Charlotte.
His position at the top has since been strengthened following the Sinquefield Cup, where So's victory propelled the American into second place in the Circuit standings.
Sindarov has already qualified for his first world championship match after winning the Candidates Tournament in Cyprus, earning the right to challenge India's reigning World Champion GM Gukesh D in Geneva.
But his Circuit position means he is also accumulating points towards qualification for the next Candidates Tournament, which will decide the challenger for the 2028 world title.
The new FIDE Circuit runs across 2026 and 2027, with players collecting points from eligible tournaments during the two-year cycle. Classical events form the core of the system, while selected rapid, blitz and mixed-time-control tournaments can also contribute points.
Sindarov overtook Abdusattorov at the beginning of August. At the time, FIDE noted that Sindarov had accumulated results from five Circuit events compared with four for Abdusattorov.
The latest standings leave two Uzbek players inside the top three, with So separating the pair following his victory in St. Louis.
Circuit standings remain provisional until players complete the participation requirements set out in FIDE's regulations.
For Sindarov, that leaves open an unusual possibility: even before sitting down opposite Gukesh for his first shot at the world title, he is already building a route back to the Candidates should he need another one.
Sindarov's 2026 Results So Far
Sindarov's lead comes amid a remarkably consistent year in classical chess.
Across four major classical tournaments in 2026, he has played 45 games, winning 14, drawing 29 and losing just twice, with an average tournament performance rating of 2837.
He began the year by finishing second at Tata Steel with four wins, nine draws and no defeats, recording a 2833 performance rating.
Sindarov then produced the standout result of his career at the Candidates, scoring six wins and eight draws without a loss for a 2908 performance rating. He finished on 10/14 to earn his World Championship match against reigning champion Gukesh.
His only two classical defeats of the year have come since the Candidates. Sindarov scored two wins, six draws and one loss at both the GCT event in Romania and the Sinquefield Cup, tying for third-fourth on each occasion. His performance ratings were 2783 and 2788 respectively.
Gukesh Can Win
Gukesh, meanwhile, has been in poor form throughout 2026 and will be hoping to turn a corner at next month's FIDE Olympiad, where he competes for India.
He received some encouraging words this week, however, from his countryman and friend GM Nihal Sarin.
In an interview with CNBC TV18, Sarin said: "Gukesh simply needs to get his confidence back. I really hope he can do very well at the Olympiad. I think it will be quite important for him just to get his confidence back.
"As they say, form is temporary, but class is permanent. Gukesh became World Champion only because he’s a genius, not because he's bad."
Sarin won't be alone in having confidence in Gukesh.