Coach Roman Vidonyak: Javokhir Sindarov’s secret weapon

Javokhir Sindarov had an incredible performance at the Candidates Tournament. He won the event and finished 1½ points ahead of second-placed Anish Giri. While many people have contributed towards Javokhir’s success, one man takes the lion’s share. His name is Roman Vidonyak, and he is Sindarov’s coach. The journey of Roman and Javokhir began in January 2025 and in the last sixteen months they have achieved something truly special. What are Roman’s methods of training? We tried to understand from the man himself. | Photo: Amruta Mokal