New Delhi: Had this article been written a few days later, the word “possibility” might not have been needed in the headline. It seems more like a matter of time than anything else that Uzbekistan’s Javakhir Sandrov will be announced as the winner of the ongoing FIDE Candidates 2026 tournament. According to tradition, he will be the one to challenge reigning world champion De Gokesh for the title later this year.Qualifying for the Candidates after winning the 2025 FIDE World Cup in Goa, India, the 20-year-old Sindarov has played extraordinary chess. Unlike many of his peers who use deep thinking, Sandrov is making moves in the blink of an eye, resulting in a substantial advantage of time and eyeballs moving around the chess world.His unbeaten run, headlined by 6 wins from 10 games, is the best in the current format of candidates, giving him some deserved limelight in the market.
A stark contrast to a player who didn’t even have a sponsor to back him a year and a half ago.“There’s a problem with chess because people don’t have money, even though it’s a very expensive game. You have to travel a lot. You have a lot of expenses,” Tom Guilbaud, Sandarov’s manager of 20 years, told Times of India.com in an exclusive interview.Sponsors bring relief in these situations. However, getting their attention is difficult, as Guilbaud explained, “The key is to understand what sponsors are looking for. We really can’t have sponsors and offer them nothing. We have to be able to get them something to offer.”
Javakhir Sandrov at the Candidates Tournament (Photo by Michal Walusza)
This 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. This is part of a well-oiled digital strategy.“That’s why I created his social media. It’s 99.9% handled by me. He (Sundarov) barely tweets. He barely opens anything. It’s pretty much me who created the account and do every tweet, every reply and every like,” Guilbaud added.The effort has paid dividends. Sandrov has now landed two new sponsors in the National Bank of Uzbekistan (NBU) and an internet service provider.“Now we’re using social media as a concept to promote sponsors and be able to be more interesting to sponsors,” he said.From ‘nobody’ to global contenderWhen Guilbaud took up the case a year and eight months ago, Sundaroff had zero sponsors. The funding came primarily from his grandfather, Dr. Komal Sandrov, who was Javakhir’s first coach and is now the vice-president of the Uzbekistan Chess Federation.
From left to right Dada Dr. Komal Sandroof, FM Manush Shah, IM Javakhair Sandroof, IO Laszlo Nagy (Photo by Laszlo Nagy)
Another way was to reinvest his own tournament prize money, while still being a part of it. Sports The ecosystem has also funded it from time to time.“In my eyes, it’s very difficult to understand that Javkhair is a top player in the world today,” Guilbaud admits with a smile. “I’ve known him when he was basically the top 60-70 in the world. He was 2630. He grew very fast. I’ve known this guy when he was pretty much a nobody.”The party that has no time.When he’s not 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 passion.“He doesn’t really have that much time. He says he’s a good gamer, but he considers himself a gamer because he plays all his free time,” Guilbaud said.However, the actual time spent gaming is minimal. “When you’re looking weekly, he plays video games maybe three hours a week. It’s a very small space. He does it because he spends all his free time gaming, but he doesn’t have a lot of time.”‘Dirty work’ on boardInterestingly, Gulbad, the esports team’s chess coach, has occasionally helped Sindarov with his chess preparation, though he refrains from calling them “tips”.“My goal is not to give him tips because he plays better chess than me. The goal is just to do the dirty work,” Guilbaud shared.
Javakhir Sindrov signing an autograph (photo by Michal Valoza)
During tournaments like the FIDE World Cup or the World Cup in Goa, when Sindarov’s team was small, Guilbaud scouted the opponents.“I see him face Sarana, then I’m going to look at Sarana’s games and I’m going to say, ‘Oh, he’s got a really bad win rate at the English Open,'” he revealed.The psychology of the clockAs for Sandarov’s case of speeding up candidates, Guilbaud believes it is a calculated psychological move. Although he does not discuss the specific preparation with Sandroff to honor his attention, 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 believe in what I’m doing. And you’re not.’ It’s sending a very strong message to the adversary up front.”As Sundrov nears the finish line among the contenders, that confidence and the professional structure built around him appear to be the perfect combination for the potential world champion.
