diff --git a/src/vs/base/common/filters.ts b/src/vs/base/common/filters.ts
index 49e5de0eb5a852cbf11f810faf54cea50428b714..67b4e38d2922b73e5db5c6e006d92c15a841053e 100644
--- a/src/vs/base/common/filters.ts
+++ b/src/vs/base/common/filters.ts
@@ -474,9 +474,6 @@ export function fuzzyScore(pattern: string, word: string): [number, number[]] {
 		return undefined;
 	}
 
-	// keep track of the maximum score
-	let maxScore = -1;
-
 	for (patternPos = patternStartPos + 1; patternPos <= patternLen; patternPos++) {
 
 		let lastLowWordChar = '';
@@ -508,9 +505,6 @@ export function fuzzyScore(pattern: string, word: string): [number, number[]] {
 			}
 
 			_scores[patternPos][wordPos] = score;
-			if (score > maxScore) {
-				maxScore = score;
-			}
 
 			let diag = _table[patternPos - 1][wordPos - 1] + (score > 1 ? 1 : score);
 			let top = _table[patternPos - 1][wordPos] + -1;
@@ -546,10 +540,6 @@ export function fuzzyScore(pattern: string, word: string): [number, number[]] {
 		}
 	}
 
-	if (maxScore <= 1) {
-		return undefined;
-	}
-
 	if (_debug) {
 		console.log(printTable(_table, pattern, patternLen, word, wordLen));
 		console.log(printTable(_arrows, pattern, patternLen, word, wordLen));
@@ -577,7 +567,9 @@ export function fuzzyScore(pattern: string, word: string): [number, number[]] {
 
 function findAllMatches(patternLen: number, patternPos: number, patternStartPos: number, wordPos: number, total: number, matches: number[], bucket: [number, number[]][], lastMatched: boolean): void {
 
-	if (bucket.length >= 10) {
+	if (bucket.length >= 10 || total < -25) {
+		// stop when having already 10 results, or
+		// when a potential alignment as already 5 gaps
 		return;
 	}
 
diff --git a/src/vs/base/test/common/filters.test.ts b/src/vs/base/test/common/filters.test.ts
index 4753059f57c390a0c038852d9726bf9cc9976996..e555d4a08f5b2a476251f79295220365ff07cbde 100644
--- a/src/vs/base/test/common/filters.test.ts
+++ b/src/vs/base/test/common/filters.test.ts
@@ -306,6 +306,9 @@ suite('Filters', () => {
 	});
 
 	test('fuzzyScore, issue #26423', function () {
+
+		assertMatches('baba', 'abababab', undefined, fuzzyScore);
+
 		assertMatches(
 			'fsfsfs',
 			'dsafdsafdsafdsafdsafdsafdsafasdfdsa',