Top grandmasters, content creators, and fans from around the world came to Charlotte from July 3-5 to honor the legacy of the late GM Daniel Naroditsky. The next world championship challenger, GM Javokhir Sindarov, won both the rapid and blitz tournaments at the Naroditsky Memorial, while IM John Bartholomew scored an impressive 9-0 to win the Creator Invitational tournament.
Naroditsky was renowned for his love of fast time controls, so rapid and blitz tournaments were a logical choice to honor his legacy. The tournaments featured legends from older generations like GMs Boris Gelfand and Vasil Ivanchuk, as well as top players from today like Sindarov and the world’s second-highest-rated player, GM Fabiano Caruana. In addition, content creators from across the chess world joined the tournaments, nine of whom took part in their own creators blitz tournament, the same day as the finals of the main event.
The event also raised money for the Daniel Naroditsky Memorial Fund. Your contributions can also help to sustain this annual event and fund the Naroditsky Fellowship, a scholarship program supporting talented young chess players pursuing excellence at the highest level.
Rapid Championship
Sindarov has been enjoying his trip to America. He posed with fans at a World Cup soccer game earlier in the week.
He continued to enjoy himself once the chess began, overcoming a loss against GM Andy Woodward to score 6/7 in the rapid tournament. Sindarov needed to win on demand in the final-round against GM Aydin Suleymanli, who had led throughout the tournament.
That win brought Sindarov to a tie for first with GM Aravindh Chithambaram. The two competed in a two-game blitz playoff. Sindarov’s win as Black in the first game helped him to cruise to a 2-0 victory.
Creator Invitational
Ten well-known chess content creators were invited to play in a round-robin blitz tournament. The race for first turned into an exhibition as Bartholomew ran away with the title by winning every game!Â
IM Levy Rozman came closest to catching Bartholomew. Perhaps he could have if he had converted an advantage in their game.
Rozman recorded videos throughout the weekend, covering his own games and giving thoughts on the whole experience.
Blitz Tournament Qualifiers
Sindarov’s blitz tournament started with a surprise, as he was paired with his brother. As expected, the grandmaster won the game.
GM Hikaru Nakamura had a rough start, drawing from a lost position against IM Irene Sukandar.
I got nervous 🥹 https://t.co/IhN1pvnFUe
— Irene Sukandar (@irene_sukandar) July 4, 2026
Nakamura bounced back, winning six games, with just two draws in his next eight games. This win in round nine against GM Ruslan Ponomariov allowed Nakamura to secure first place with draws in the final two rounds.
The top 10 players qualified for the finals the next day. Nine grandmasters made it, along with NM Ethan Sheehan, who scored a fantastic 8/11, with nine games against GMs, including many of the top players in the world.
Sindarov barely qualified for the finals. In an Armageddon playoff, he had to defend rook and knight against rook against GM Leinier Dominguez. Sindarov finally claimed a draw after 158 moves, allowing him to reach the finals the next day. Â
Masters Finals
The finals were a round robin between the 10 top finishers of the previous day’s blitz tournament. The competitors were nine grandmasters and Sheehan. However, Sheehan, showed that he belonged and contended throughout the event. He celebrated after defeating Nakamura in impressive fashion.
NM Ethan Sheehan defeats World #2 GM Hikaru Nakamura!! WOW pic.twitter.com/MpfDEParCE
— Chess.com (@chesscom) July 5, 2026
After barely qualifying for the finals, Sindarov dominated the event. After a first-round draw with GM Mukhiddin Madaminov, Sindarov won three in a row against Sheehan, GM Vasif Durarbayli, and GM Sam Sevian. He kept the lead the rest of the way, finishing with six wins and three draws for a score of 7.5/9. Perhaps his best game was a win against Woodward.
Sindarov was gracious in a post-match interview, and reminisced about the more than 1,000 games that he had played against Naroditsky through the years.Â
Daniel Naroditsky memorial pic.twitter.com/tlnju75A26
— Javokhir Sindarov (@GMJSindarov) July 5, 2026
Check out the broadcast, hosted by GMs Peter Leko and David Howell.Â
The inaugural 2026 Naroditsky Memorial Rapid & Blitz took place on July 3-5 at the Marriott City Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. There were many sections, but for the Masters, there was one day of rapid (a seven-round Swiss) followed by two days of blitz (an 11-round Swiss followed by finals featuring the top 10). The rapid time control was 10+5, while the blitz was 3+2. The total prize fund was $50,000.