In a post‑game press interview after the penultimate round of the Chess Olympiad, Grandmaster Javahir Sindarov discusses his recent victory, the extensive opening preparation that involved a four‑hour study of a surprise line, and how his opponent’s small mistakes allowed him to capitalize and secure a win. The conversation expands to the broader team context: Uzbekistan’s strong position in the gold‑medal race, the importance of team tiebreaks, and the psychological boost from a supportive home crowd. Interviewers probe the inspiration behind the opening (drawn from Arjun’s previous Olympiad game), the upcoming challenges against Armenia and possibly Ukraine, and the role of coaches and national tournaments in fostering a deep opening repertoire. Sindarov and the team emphasize the desire to win team gold over individual accolades, while also highlighting how the Olympiad’s atmosphere is inspiring the next generation of Uzbek chess players.
Chapters
Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry. Could you go to the sides, please? No recording.
I'm here with Grandmaster Javahir Sindarov, who just won his game in this penultimate round of the Olympiad. Such an important match for you guys going into Armenia today. Tell me what the thoughts were before.
Uh, yeah, like, uh, from before, I'm When we got pairing, like, I understand my match will be very tough because Robert was super solid player. And yesterday I spent like, like maybe 4 hours to find somewhere some interesting position. But even today he knows all of this line. But in middle game, he, he did like a lot of not big, like small mistakes. And then I find like all the best moves in my opinion. And some moment I think probably he just don't like his position and start some bluffing and it doesn't work and like start giving like free pawns and I got everything in one game which makes me very happy because very important round and I hope like, I mean, it will be also, I mean, a little bit team pressure because of he lost for his team but anyway match will be very tough in my opinion.
Great stuff.
Thank you. Bölde, bölde. You're no chance, you're no chance, Mr. Police. बिटरासीले ना, बिटरासीले। बिटरासीले। बिटरास कौन सी शूट?
जो?
बिटरास। हाय दामाई क्यों? बोले। हाय जो जो माय जो बोले। Oh wait wait wait wait wait wait, wait wait. Aja, selamat sih ada. Jaya bolahnya, yeti kelafi ucesan. Yeti kelafi ucesan, bolahnya. Hadi boleh boleh boleh boleh. Okay, orang gitu berjalan. As gelam ayah. Ini besarlah em bak lihat ini ya.
Would you say this was like opening preparation for you today against Haik? Like, like till what point was it preparation?
Yeah, this opening choice was inspired. I was inspired by Arjun's game. The last Olympiad, he won his game, I think, against Slovenian Grandmaster. And yeah, last round, Subeltian. Yes, so I. I decided to repeat this, repeat this opening. So yeah, I mean, this was the idea behind this opening.
Bishop b5 check is surprising.
Yeah, I think my opponent clearly didn't expect this opening and he confused or misunderstood my idea. And yeah, I got very pleasant position from opening.
Your team is in dream form and also you are on your way to win your Olympiad individual gold. Which is more like happy?
I would give everything, you know, to win a team gold, so I think it's most important.
You sealed the deal basically because you have superior tiebreaks.
How do you feel about it right now? We still have to, you know, focus on the last game because it's always very, you know, nerve-wracking because always, you know, you don't know what to expect. So we have to recover from this game and Try to focus on next game.
How did you approach Armenia as an opponent? Because you know they were the giant killers out of this top USA, this top China.
Yeah, I mean we knew that it would be a very tough match because Armenia didn't lose a single match so far. So we we knew that it will be a very very close match and our our boys showed their you know absolute best and Djawahir and Mukidin won convincingly. So. After that, I think it was clear.
When you guys came in, you know there were a lot of people shouting Uzbekistan, Uzbekistan in the crowd. How was that feeling?
Yeah, I mean, this you know clearly different different atmosphere compared to you know last Olympics because we have our home crowd and you know there is a lot of support. I I really appreciate that and. You know, in some way they are, you know, inspiring us and, you know, they are motivating us to play our absolute best. Thank you.
Nazarbayev, we see so many young fans coming here, they support you, and we see also the B team has been doing well, C team has been doing well. How do you think that you are inspiring the next generation of Uzbekistan chess?
Yeah, I think, you know, we hosted already, we hosted several big tournaments in Samarkand. So, you know, it's already a familiar place for many, most of the players. And yeah, I think, you know, it's a good place for our team because, you know, people are coming from all over Uzbekistan to come and watch, you know, to watch our games, to support us. And, you know, that brings more people to that brings more people to chess and, you know, it popularizes it in our country. So, you know, it's a— I could say that it's all dream came true, you know. It's all happening together. We are in good form, you know, we are performing well, and our crowd is like amazing. They are supporting us and, you know, everything's excellent.
All right, we're not going to get any more than a second.
Help me.
Every minute matters, man.
Obviously, not to be very top-notch.
Rustam, maybe a few thoughts on the convincing match win today.
It looked good after the opening. I think Jawahar had a very good position very early, and then Malinin also played very well and the rest followed. It was an amazing match.
Would you say the gold is like just, just about confirmed now?
No, no, no, we still have one last round to go and it's not confirmed until it's confirmed. So not at all, no. So I'm going to fight for it.
Yeah, it is likely that perhaps you will face Ukraine tomorrow. Like, thoughts on that matchup?
Well, I mean, they beat China, so obviously a very capable team and they will have to work. The last step is always tough. So we cannot afford to relax now.
And one thing, of course, which has been notable about Team Uzbekistan, like Team Uzbekistan, is the wonderful amount of opening preparation and so deep, always getting good positions. Is it just credits to you or there are other coaches as well?
