India, Oct. 30 -- Weeks before facing defending champion D Gukesh in the World Championship match in Geneva, 20-year-old Uzbek challenger Javokhir Sindarov has wrapped up his final competitive appearance with a title.

Sindarov won the Clutch Chess Champions Showdown - a four-player rapid event in Saint Louis, featuring top names - Fabiano Caruana, Hikaru Nakamura and R Praggnanandhaa. He took home a whopping $168,000.

He entered the final day of the three-day tournament tied in second place with Caruana. Praggnanandhaa was in the lead, but Sindarov managed to overturn the deficit and throw in a spectacular win against Nakamura, one that he called one of his best King's Indian games.

This title coming so close to the match must feel goo...