"Uzbekistan really plays as a team." Chess player Javokhir Sindarov — after the victory over Armenia

"Uzbekistan is truly playing as a team." Chess player Javokhir Sindarov — after the victory over Armenia

Uzbek chess player Javokhir Sindarov, after defeating Robert Hovhannisyan in the 10th round of the World Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, spoke about his four-hour preparation for the game, teamwork, the development of chess in Uzbekistan, and the performance of the country's second national team.

His preparation and participation in international tournaments, including the Chess Olympiad, as well as his work with coaches, are supported by the National Bank of Uzbekistan.

Uzbekistan confidently defeated Armenia with a score of 3.5:0.5. Sindarov noted that their opponent had not lost a single match in the tournament until then and had acted particularly reliably in defense.

"This is a very solid team, very strong in defense. They constantly played 2:2 with the strongest national teams and did not lose. This really speaks to their strength," Sindarov told local journalists.

According to him, the Uzbekistan national team prepared especially thoroughly for this encounter.

"Yesterday we prepared very deeply, tried to find our opponents' weaknesses, and went for very complex positions. In my opinion, from the opening point of view, we chose the right approach, the right path."

In an interview with FIDE, Sindarov spoke separately about his preparation for the game with Robert Hovhannisyan. According to him, he spent about four hours finding a suitable line.

"When we got the pairings, I realized that my game would be very tough because Robert is a very solid player. Yesterday I spent probably four hours to find some interesting position. But today he knew this entire line. In the middlegame, he made many small mistakes, and I think I found all the best moves," he said.

Sindarov added that at some point Hovhannisyan tried to complicate the game.

"I think at some point he just didn't like his position, and he started to bluff a little. It didn't work. He just started giving away pawns, and in this game, I got everything I wanted. I am very happy because it was a very important round."

Answering a question about how common a four-hour preparation for a single game is, the grandmaster said that before important encounters, such work is necessary.

"Sometimes before important games — yes. Not always, but before important games, professionals need to do something. I just wanted to get a game right out of the opening, not an immediate draw. His line is very sharp, and I didn't know what to play. Then I found this option. He still knew this line very well, but perhaps it was a good choice specifically against him," Sindarov noted.

Sindarov emphasized that the national team's chess players actively help each other when preparing for opponents.

"Yes, we discuss [the games]. I also help [Mukhiddin Madaminov]. During the Olympiad, we all help each other. We discuss every opponent, where their weak spots are, everything. I would say that we are truly playing as a team," he told FIDE.

During this interview, Sindarov noticed that Mukhiddin Madaminov was also winning his game against Gabriel Sargissian, and interrupted the journalist's question to look at the position.

"Sorry, can you repeat the question? I saw that Mukhiddin is winning. Oh my god! Show me the last position, what happened? Wow. Oh my god, he just blundered a rook," he reacted emotionally.

After that, Sindarov noted the significance of the first victories in a team match:

"It is very important to win the first game to put pressure on the opponent. I think Mukhiddin and I did our job as best as we could, and I am very happy with this result."

In a conversation with local journalists, he also said that Uzbekistan's advantage was felt on several boards at once.

"During the game, we had at least a slight advantage on all four boards. I think the opponents couldn't withstand the pressure somewhere and started making blunder after blunder, and we took good advantage of that."

As a result, in addition to Sindarov, Nodirbek Abdusattorov and Mukhiddin Madaminov won their games, while Nodirbek Yakubboev played to a draw.

Separately, Sindarov spoke about the results of Uzbek chess players in recent years.

"If you look at recent years, after the changes that took place in our country, Uzbek chess players have won many major competitions. Behind this is truly the president's attention to chess," he said.

He recalled the victories of Uzbekistan's representatives at major international tournaments and called it evidence of the overall growth of chess in the country.

"We have won major competitions. I think this is another proof that in recent years, chess in Uzbekistan is indeed developing."

According to Sindarov, he expects that the new generation will be able to surpass the current leaders.

"I believe that not only our generation, but also the next generation will grow up to be even stronger chess players than we are."

Sindarov separately noted the performance of the second men's national team of Uzbekistan, which, starting from the 30th seed, rose to the leaders' group during the tournament.

"Uzbekistan-2 is the team that surprised me the most and the one I am especially rooting for. Even before the tournament, I believed they would play well. This is a young team, everyone's eyes are shining, for many it is their first Olympiad. But I didn't expect that in the final rounds they would be playing on the top boards. I am very impressed. Well done. Everyone is playing great," he noted.

The chess player added that the performance of the second national team also reflects the overall dynamics of sports development in the country.

"I am glad. All this shows that sports and, in general, many things in our country are moving forward."

At the end of the FIDE interview, Sindarov was asked about his form and the upcoming World Championship match.

"I feel very good. I think I am gaining about five rating points. But overall, the rating is not that important. I am happy with my calculation and my play in general," he said.

The grandmaster emphasized that the championship match is important to him, but right now all attention is focused on the national team's performance.

"Of course, it is important before the match, but right now I am fully focused on the Olympiad. Of course, I am thinking about that match too. I think before it, it is very useful to get such experience and play good chess," Sindarov stated.

To the journalist's remark that an Olympic gold medal could be added to his good form, Sindarov replied: "Of course."

The final, 11th round of the Chess Olympiad takes place today, September 27. Uzbekistan leads with 18 points and plays Ukraine, while India, with 17 points, plays Hungary.

A victory guarantees Uzbekistan the gold regardless of other results. In the event of a draw, the team will become champion if India does not win; if India wins, both teams will have 19 points, and everything will be decided by tie-break criteria. If Uzbekistan loses, the outcome will depend on the results of India and other competitors.

After 10 rounds, the first tie-break for Uzbekistan is 378, and for India, it is 343.5, but after the last round, the figures will be recalculated.

In the women's tournament, China leads with 18 points, while Kazakhstan has 17. A victory over Vietnam guarantees China the gold.