Oslo, June 4:

Despite D. Gukesh’s ongoing dip in form being a major discussion point in the chess circuit, his world championship challenger, Javokhir Sindarov, believes the Indian grandmaster has no apparent flaws in his play. Instead, the Uzbek prodigy admitted he is more concerned about his own limited experience heading into their much-anticipated face-off later this year.

The 20-year-old Sindarov emerged victorious from a competitive Candidates Tournament earlier this year, defeating seven other top contenders to earn the right to challenge reigning world champion Gukesh. The venue for their showdown is yet to be finalised.

While attending the Norway Chess Tournament, Sindarov shared that he intends to start his intensive preparation for the World Championship from next month.

“I think he’s a very smart player. I faced him at Tata Steel Chess; he’s really strong,” Sindarov said, recalling their thrilling draw in Wijk aan Zee earlier in the year.

“I don’t see any clear weakness in his game. From next month, I’ll begin my preparations, but right now, my focus is the Olympiad. My team has already started working towards the World Championship,” said Sindarov, who lost to Gukesh in the rapid segment of the Grand Chess Tour Super Rapid and Blitz held in Poland earlier this year.

This was their first encounter since Sindarov became the official challenger for the world title.

Admitting that his limited experience in match formats, especially the demanding 14-game World Championship series, worries him, Sindarov said he is concentrating on improving his overall play.

“Actually, I’ve played around 6-8 matches in the Men’s World Cup (in Goa last year), but I’ve never played a classical 14-game match before. I can’t say much because I don’t have that experience yet, but I know it will be tough. Still, I feel I’m very close,” he said.

“I think the chances for both of us, Gukesh and me, will be quite similar, so it should be a great match. My focus is simply to keep working hard on my chess and perform well in both my upcoming tournaments and the World Championship,” added Sindarov, who captured his first major international title by winning the World Cup in Goa.

Speaking about his preparation routine, Sindarov revealed that he has intensified his training schedule, now spending over 10 hours a day sharpening his skills.

“Since last year, I’ve really been working hard. Even if you consider the time I spend on games like Counter-Strike, I still work a lot,” Sindarov said with a smile.

“I usually train about 10 hours a day, which adds up to more than 80-90 days of full-time work in a year. We’ve put in a tremendous amount of effort into chess, and the results are starting to show,” he added.

“My dream is to become one of the strongest chess players in the world. If I continue working within this system of long, consistent hours, I believe I can achieve that goal,” said Sindarov.

Having become one of the youngest grandmasters at just 12 years old, Sindarov admitted he had previously grappled with motivation following early success, including his triumph at the Candidates Tournament.

“I don’t really set specific goals anymore,” he said. “For example, last year I never thought I would become a Candidates winner, but life is unpredictable, and anything can happen.”

When asked about his preferred location for the World Championship match, Sindarov mentioned that he would like it to be hosted in a warm country, suggesting Cyprus as an appealing choice.

“Personally, I’d like to play somewhere warm. Winters are a bit uncomfortable for me. But I’m not someone who needs ideal conditions—I’ve grown up playing in all sorts of environments,” he said.

“So, it doesn’t really matter where I play, but if there’s good food around, that would make it perfect,” he added with a laugh. “Playing in Cyprus would be great.”

Asked whether earlier intensive training could have made him world champion by now, Sindarov reflected thoughtfully on his journey and growth as a player.

“I think if I had trained more when I was younger, I could have been world champion by now. I know I have strong potential and natural talent for the game, even when I didn’t train much,” he said.

“It was difficult to find a good coach at first, but once I started working with Roman Vidonyak, I felt my chess really improved.”

Though acknowledging that becoming world champion is never easy, Sindarov remains confident that his talent gives him a solid foundation for future success.

He also credited his close friend and fellow chess player Bibisara Assaubayeva, the current women’s world blitz champion, for her support and influence. Assaubayeva is participating in the women’s section of the Norway Chess event.

“We grew up together and have always helped each other a lot during tournaments,” Sindarov said.