In the realm of high-profile chess tournaments, it’s not uncommon for discussions to arise regarding the potential exposure of a player’s strategic preparations.
During a recent round 8 Candidates match in Cyprus, rising star Javokhir Sindarov concluded his game against last-place competitor Andrey Esipenko with a swift draw after just 24 moves. Following the match, Sindarov faced questions about the apparent leakage of his opening preparation.
This speculation was fueled by the revelation that Sindarov’s account on the chess platform Lichess contained unprotected opening ideas in its study section. Once this information circulated on social media, particularly Reddit, the studies were promptly set to private.
In a competitive environment where grandmasters often go to great lengths to safeguard their preparations—sometimes even concealing the identities of their seconds—having opening strategies accessible to everyone, including opponents, is akin to a wardrobe malfunction in chess. What took months of careful planning could become ineffective in a single moment.
Sindarov humorously noted that he received messages from fans alerting him that his Lichess studies were public, responding with a smile during an interview with Chess24.
Commentator Judit Polgar, speaking for Chess24 shortly after the interview, expressed her surprise at Sindarov’s relaxed demeanor. “It seems that players and their seconds might not be paying enough attention to security. However, I appreciate Sindarov’s mindset. It reflects a champion’s attitude—whatever happens, we adapt and make the best of the situation,” she stated.
Her co-commentator, David Howell, echoed this sentiment, praising Sindarov’s composure. “That’s an admirable attitude. I would likely be stressed and frustrated if I were in his position. It certainly helps that he has had a strong start to the tournament, maintaining a calm demeanor throughout,” he added.
This incident is not the first of its kind in competitive chess. A notable example occurred during the 2018 World Chess Championship between Magnus Carlsen and Fabiano Caruana, when opening lines prepared by Caruana were inadvertently disclosed through a YouTube video posted by the St Louis Chess Club. The video was quickly removed.
The situation brought a rare moment of lightness during an otherwise intense championship. When asked at a press conference—while Caruana sat beside him—if he had seen the video, Carlsen replied with a sheepish grin, “I am aware of the video’s existence, but I don’t believe it’s available anymore.” He added that he hadn’t had the opportunity to view it.
A similar occurrence happened during the 2023 World Chess Championship between Ding Liren and Ian Nepomniachtchi. While the match was ongoing, two anonymous accounts—believed to belong to Ding and his second Richard Rapport—were discovered to have played games that utilized lines later employed against Nepomniachtchi.
Polgar reminisced about how her generation tackled similar issues. “I used to keep my notes on paper!” she remarked, holding up a sheet for the camera. “I trained with my sisters and coaches. Those physical files were so cumbersome they practically served as exercise equipment. It was only later that I transitioned to digital preparations, which could span thousands of lines.”
Amit Kamath serves as the Assistant Editor at The Indian Express, based in Mumbai. He focuses primarily on chess and Olympic sports, co-hosting the Game Time podcast, a weekly segment from Express Sports. Additionally, he writes a weekly chess column titled On The Moves.
