Bengaluru: Javokhir Sindarov, a 20-year-old Uzbek Grandmaster, has been working tirelessly with his coach Roman Vidonyak in Munich, putting in 10 hours a day on chess. This hard work paid off as he dominated the Candidates tournament in March-April, earning the right to challenge reigning world champion D Gukesh in the title match.
Sindarov is currently in Oslo for Norway Chess to support his close friend and rumoured girlfriend, Kazakh GM Bibisara Assaubayeva, who has a nearly unassailable lead in the tournament. He will challenge Gukesh for the world title in a battle of 20-year-olds roughly six months from now.
When asked about his chances, Sindarov said, 'I don't have any match experience. I think it will be very hard. Both Gukesh and I will have the same chances.'
Sindarov credits his hard work and dedication to his coach Roman, saying, 'I worked really hard last year with my coach Roman – 10 hours a day for 80-90 days. So, it's not that I was lucky to win the Candidates, a lot of hard work went into it.'
As a self-confessed Counter-Strike junkie, Sindarov was having trouble with his account a couple of days ago. He said, 'I think everyone in the chess world should be more professional than me.'
Sindarov's admiration for world No.1 and five-time world champion Magnus Carlsen is one of the reasons he prefers to analyse on a chess board rather than on a computer.
