Sindarov and Vaishali Map Out Their World Championship Campaigns
The dust from the 2026 Candidates Tournament is barely settled, and both challengers are already looking ahead.
Javokhir Sindarov gave a wide-ranging interview to FIDE and ChessBase this week. R Vaishali's longtime coach R.B. Ramesh opened up about the training behind her Women's Candidates victory. And FIDE announced that the 2026 Chess Olympiad will be held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Sindarov's homeland, giving the chess calendar a decidedly Uzbek flavor this year.
Two World Championship matches. Two challengers with very different stories. Here is what they said.
Sindarov: "The Quarantine Changed My Life"
In a detailed interview published on April 21, Sindarov reflected on the path that led him from Tashkent to a record-breaking 10/14 at the Candidates.
The turning point, he said, was the pandemic.
"The quarantine changed my life. After that, I started working much harder."
Before COVID, Sindarov was already a teenage Grandmaster with obvious talent. But he admits the discipline was not always there. "Before, I worked hard, but sometimes it was boring. I would get distracted with video games and other things."
What changed was his partnership with coach Roman Vidonyak. The two developed a training method built around puzzles, competition, and variety. "With Roman, training is always interesting. He gives puzzles and exercises, and time passes very quickly. Sometimes we compete solving puzzles, to see who solves faster."
That training relationship produced results fast. At 15, Sindarov beat Alireza Firouzja at the World Cup. "I realised I could compete at the highest level. Since then, I've been working much more seriously."
The Candidates Strategy
Sindarov's coach set a modest-sounding target before the Candidates: finish the first half at +1, and you'll have good chances. Sindarov finished the first half at +5.
"The key moment of the tournament was my draw against Fabi," Sindarov said. That Round 4 draw against Caruana was not a flashy result, but it confirmed Sindarov could hold his ground against the tournament's most experienced player.
After beating Praggnanandhaa with four rounds remaining, the math became overwhelming. "I felt 90% sure I would win."
He finished on 10/14: six wins, eight draws, zero losses. The highest score in modern Candidates history, surpassing Nepomniachtchi's 9.5/14 from 2022.
Looking Ahead to Gukesh
The World Championship match against Gukesh Dommaraju is expected later this year, likely in December. The combined age of both players will be around 40, making it the youngest World Championship match in history.
Sindarov is not fazed by the historical framing: "Not really. It's not a big surprise to me. We are two very strong grandmasters, and I'm just part of that generation."
His ambition is direct: "I already won the World Cup, now the FIDE Candidates, and hopefully by the end of the year I will try to win the World Championship match."
Preparation starts next week. But first, there are strong tournaments to play, including Norway Chess in May, where both challenger and champion could meet across the board.
Vaishali: "They Would Train From 8:30 AM to 7:30 PM"
On the same day, ChessBase published an interview with R.B. Ramesh, the coach who has guided both Vaishali and her brother Praggnanandhaa since their junior years at Chess Gurukul in Chennai.
The details of Vaishali's training are striking. As children, their father would drive both siblings 1 to 1.5 hours each way on a two-wheeler to reach the academy. "They would arrive by 8:30 a.m., have breakfast, attend classes from 9:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. and eat all three meals at the academy just to maximize training time."
Ramesh describes both siblings with a single phrase: "tremendous work ethics." "If you say you have to work ten hours a day, they'll say okay."
Operating at 60-70% of Her Potential
Perhaps the most eyebrow-raising claim from Ramesh is his assessment of where Vaishali stands: she is operating at "60-70% of her potential," he said, with capability for "pure positional class." He cited her victory over Goryachkina at the Candidates as evidence of the level she can reach.
Despite her composed demeanor at the board, Ramesh revealed that Vaishali is "highly emotional and losses affect her deeply." During the Candidates, he brought in GM Pranesh M. to maintain a light atmosphere and prevent her from dwelling on setbacks, particularly after her crushing Round 12 loss to Zhu Jiner.
The strategy worked. Vaishali recovered to win the title in the final round.
An Ethics That Stands Out
Ramesh shared one revealing anecdote. When someone offered Vaishali improper information during a tournament, her response was immediate: "No, I should not be getting this information."
"She is extremely ethical," Ramesh said. In a sport where preparation leaks and information advantages are constant temptations, that instinct says something about the challenger Ju Wenjun will face.
The Shared Dream
The Women's World Championship match between Vaishali and reigning champion Ju Wenjun is expected later this year, with dates and venue still to be announced. Ju Wenjun has held the title since 2018 and defended it three times.
Ramesh expressed a quiet confidence about the match, and about the Rameshbabu family's broader trajectory: "The three of us somehow just know like it will happen." The "it" being both siblings eventually becoming World Champions.
Both players will appear at Norway Chess 2026 (May 25 - June 5), where Vaishali and Ju Wenjun will compete in the Women's event alongside Muzychuk, Koneru, Zhu Jiner, Deshmukh, and Assaubayeva.
Chess Olympiad 2026: Samarkand, Uzbekistan
As if Uzbek chess needed another reason to celebrate, FIDE confirmed on April 20 that the 46th Chess Olympiad will be held in Samarkand from September 15-27, 2026.
The timing is symbolic. Sindarov, the country's newest chess hero, will likely play for Uzbekistan at the Olympiad just weeks before challenging for the World Championship. His compatriot Abdusattorov, currently world No. 4, will anchor a home team that could genuinely challenge for gold.
Uzbekistan already won Olympiad gold in Chennai in 2022, with both Sindarov and Abdusattorov on the squad. Doing it again at home, in front of their own fans, would be a statement.
The Budapest 2024 Olympiad set records with 193 Open and 181 Women's teams. Samarkand is projected to exceed those numbers. Registration opened on April 20.
Key dates:
- September 10-18: FIDE Chess Olympiad for People with Disabilities
- September 15: Opening Ceremony
- September 16-27: Main Olympiad (11 rounds Swiss)
- September 26: FIDE Election during FIDE Congress
A Busy Year Ahead
The chess calendar for the rest of 2026 is stacking up fast:
- Norway Chess (May 25 - June 5) - Both Gukesh and Sindarov expected; Vaishali and Ju Wenjun in the Women's event
- Chess Olympiad (September 15-27, Samarkand) - Home soil for Uzbekistan
- Women's World Championship (TBD) - Vaishali vs Ju Wenjun
- World Championship (expected December) - Sindarov vs Gukesh
Two challengers. Two champions to dethrone. The preparation starts now.
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