Bengaluru, Javokhir Sindarov knows the ultimate challenge awaits him later this year when he takes on defending champion D Gukesh for the world crown, but the Uzbek chess prodigy says his preparations for the showdown will begin only after this month’s Chess Olympiad.
Sindarov will face Gukesh in a battle for the world crown between two 20-year-olds in Geneva over 14 classical games from November 24 to December 12.
However, the Uzbek is currently keeping his focus firmly on the tournaments immediately ahead, rather than allowing the much-anticipated title clash to dominate his thoughts.
“Right now, I’m focusing on my next events the Global Chess League and the Olympiad. After those, I will start preparing for the World Championship match,” Sindarov, who will represent Fyers American Gambits in the fourth edition of GCL, said during a media interaction here.
The GCL will be held here from September 5 to 13, followed by the Olympiad from September 15 to 27 in Samarkand.
Sindarov earned his shot at the world title by winning this year’s Candidates Tournament with a round to spare, producing one of the most dominant performances in recent memory as he strung together four consecutive victories against elite opposition.
His preparations for the Geneva clash are being overseen by coach Roman Vidonyak and it is believed that he is unlikely to tinker much with the formula that has already brought Sindarov considerable success.
Gearing up for GCL
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His team’s icon player, Sindarov further said he was treating the franchise event like any other tournament despite its different format.
“It’s a completely different format, but I try to play my best chess in every tournament. My team works behind the scenes while I focus on the event in front of me,” he said.
In GCL, six franchises compete in a double round-robin league stage before the knockouts are held to determine the champion.
Each team fields six players across six boards at the same time in a match. The teams consist of one Icon, two Superstar Men, two Superstar Women, and one Prodigy player.
The league uses rapid time control, with 20 minutes per player and a two-second increment from move 41. A win with Black earns four Game Points, compared with three for a win with White. A draw earns one point for each player.
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