Javokhir Sindarov won the Candidates Tournament and booked his ticket to challenge Gukesh for the world title. The Uzbek grandmaster sat down to talk about how he got here, and the answer surprised no one: he worked harder than everyone else.
Sindarov credited his draw against Fabiano Caruana as the turning point in Cyprus. That result kept him in contention when others faltered. He also pointed to his partnership with coach Roman Vidonyak as essential to his preparation. The two clearly found something that works.
But here's what stands out. Sindarov mentioned that quarantine changed his life. He didn't elaborate much on this in the interview, but the implication is clear. The pandemic forced him to stop, reset, and rebuild his approach to chess. When tournaments returned, he came back different.
Now he faces Gukesh, the 18-year-old sensation who's rewriting chess history. Sindarov knows what he wants. He told interviewers his long-term goal is simple: become world number one. The Candidates victory puts him one match away. He gets his shot at the world's youngest champion, and he genuinely believes he can win it.