NEW DELHI: If this piece were written a few days later, the word “likely” in the headline might no longer be necessary. It feels more like a matter of time than anything that Javokhir Sindarov from Uzbekistan will be announced the winner of the ongoing FIDE Candidates 2026 tournament. As per tradition, he will be the one challenging the reigning World Champion D Gukesh for the title later this year.Qualifying for the Candidates after winning the 2025 FIDE World Cup in Goa, India, Sindarov, 20, has played exceptional chess. Unlike many of his peers who use deep thinking, Sindarov has been making moves in the blink of an eye, subsequently creating a substantial time advantage and rolling eyeballs across the chess world.His unbeaten run, headlined by 6 wins in 10 games, is the best in the current format of the Candidates, landing him some deserved limelight in the market.
There is a massive contrast to the player who had no sponsors to support him even one and a half years ago.“There has been a problem with chess because people do not have money, although it’s a very expensive sport. You have to travel a lot. You have lots of expenses,” Tom Guilbaud, Sindarov’s 20-year-old manager, told TimesofIndia.com during an exclusive interaction.Sponsors bring relief in these circumstances. However, it is difficult to draw their attention, as Guilbaud explained, “The main thing is to understand what sponsors are looking for. We cannot really have sponsors and not offer them anything. We need to be able to have something to offer them.
Javokhir Sindarov at Candidates tournament (Photo by Michal Walusza)
That is when Guilbaud chose to create a YouTube channel for Sindarov. Launched in October 2024, the channel now has five videos and over 300 subscribers. It’s part of a well-oiled digital strategy.“That’s why I created his social media. It’s 99.9% handled by me. He (Sindarov) barely tweets. He barely opens anything. It’s pretty much me who created the account and does every tweet, every reply, and every like,” Guilbaud added.The effort has paid dividends. Sindarov has now landed two new sponsors in the National Bank of Uzbekistan (NBU) and an internet provider company.“Now we’re using social media as a notion to be able to promote sponsors and be able to be more interesting for sponsors,” he remarked.From ‘no one’ to world contenderWhen Guilbaud took up the case a year and eight months back, Sindarov had zero sponsors. Funding came primarily from his grandfather, Dr Komil Sindarov, who was Javokhir’s first coach and is now the vice-president of the Uzbekistan Chess Federation.
From left to right Grandfather Dr. Komil Sindarov, FM Manush Shah, IM Javokhir Sindarov, IO Laszlo Nagy (Photo by Laszlo Nagy)
The other way was reinvesting his own tournament prize money, whereas being part of the Esports ecosystem has also helped him financially from time to time.“In my eyes, that’s very hard to understand that today Javokhir is a top world player,” Guilbaud admitted with a smile. “I’ve known him when he was basically top 60-70 in the world. He was 2630. He grew very fast. I’ve known this guy when he was pretty much no one.”The gamer who has no timeWhen he isn’t dominating the board, Sindarov is a dedicated gamer. He is particularly fond of Counter-Strike, but the professional grind of a world-class Grandmaster leaves little room for hobbies.“He doesn’t really have that much time. He says he’s a good gamer, but he considers himself a gamer because all his free time he plays,” Guilbaud said.However, the actual time spent gaming is minimal. “When you’re looking weekly, he plays maybe like three hours of video games a week. It’s very little space. He does that because all of his free time he’s gaming, but he doesn’t have a lot of free time.”The ‘dirty work’ on the boardInterestingly, Guilbaud, a chess coach himself for an Esports team, has occasionally helped Sindarov with chess-related preparation, though he avoids calling them “tips”.“My goal is not to give him tips cause he plays better chess than me. The goal is just to do the dirty work,” Guilbaud shared.
Javokhir Sindarov giving autograph (Photo by Michal Walusza)
During tournaments like the FIDE World Cup or the World Cup in Goa, when Sindarov’s team was smaller, Guilbaud would scout opponents.“I see that he’s facing Sarana, then I’m going to look over Sarana’s games and tell Javokhir, ‘Oh, he has a very bad win rate on the English opening,'” he revealed.Psychology of the clockAs for the blistering pace Sindarov has set in the Candidates, Guilbaud believes it is a calculated psychological move. While he doesn’t discuss specific preparation with Sindarov to respect his focus, he understands the message it sends.“Chess at this level is a very mental and psychological game,” Guilbaud said. “Playing fast is also a way of saying, ‘I know what I’m doing. I’m confident in what I’m doing. And you’re not.’ It’s sending a very strong message to the opponent in front.”As Sindarov nears the finish line in the Candidates, that confidence and the professional structure built around him appear to be the perfect combination for a potential World Champion.
