Rare! D Gukesh’s World C’ship Challenger Javokhir Sindarov Plays Classic Chess Against Bedridden Alirez Firouzja – Watch

Alireza Firouzja plays against Javokhir Sindarov from the special room (Screengrabs) NEW DELHI: A very unusual scene unfolded at the Grand Chess Tour’s Superbet Chess Classic Romania 2026 on Monday when French grandmaster Alireza Firouzja was playing his classic game against Uzbek prodigy Javokhir Sindarov in a special room when he was bedridden due to an ankle injury.The rare moment quickly caught the attention of the entire chess world after visuals surfaced online of Firouzja competing from a specially designed environment inside the tournament hotel during the 5th round in Bucharest. Although they were not physically present at the venue, play continued under official supervision in the presence of an arbiter, creating one of the most unusual scenes seen in elite chess in recent years. Tournament organizers confirmed that Firouzja suffered an ankle injury that made it difficult for him to visit the playing hall. Special measures were then taken to ensure that the match against Sindarov would still be played according to classic tournament rules. The incident came shortly after Firouzja was previously unable to face Fabian Caruana due to health issues.Watch:The bizarre but memorable set-up added another dramatic chapter to a tournament already packed with high-profile clashes featuring some of the world’s best young grandmasters.Sindarov, one of the breakout stars of world chess and a recent challenger to D. Gukesh’s World Championship, earlier suffered a defeat against defending champion R Praggnanandhaa in the second round of the tournament.The win was of particular significance for Praggnanandhaa, who lost both of his matches against Sindarov during the 2026 Candidates Tournament. In Bucharest, however, the Indian teenager with the black pieces did a brilliant turn. Sindarov tried another aggressive approach involving a knight sacrifice, but Praggnanandhaa defended precisely before turning his material advantage into a full point.Superbet Chess Classic Romania is the second tournament of the Grand Chess Tour 2026 and features a classic 10-player round-robin format featuring many of the biggest names in global chess.