Mumbai, July 28: India’s reigning World Champion D. Gukesh will compete against challenger Javokhir Sindarov in the 2026 FIDE World Chess Championship match. The announcement was made by FIDE, the global governing body for chess, on Tuesday. This prestigious event will take place in Geneva, Switzerland, from November 25 to December 15, 2026.
Gukesh claimed the championship in 2024 by defeating China’s Ding Liren in Singapore. Both Gukesh and Sindarov will be 20 years old at the start of the tournament, making it the youngest World Championship match in history.
The FIDE World Championship match will consist of 14 classical games. The first player to reach 7½ points will win the match, and no further games will be played once that score is achieved. If the score is tied after all 14 classical games, a tie-break will determine the World Champion.
FIDE’s interim president and former World Champion Viswanathan Anand welcomed the announcement, noting that the U.S. and Cyprus also bid to host the match.
The FIDE World Championship match is the highlight of the FIDE World Championship cycle, featuring the current champion and the challenger vying for the title. As the reigning champion, Gukesh will defend the title he won in December 2024 in Singapore. At just 18 years old, he defeated Ding Liren, securing his place as the 18th World Champion and the youngest player to achieve this feat. Gukesh is only the second Indian to win the World Championship title, following Anand.
Sindarov earned his chance to challenge for the title by winning the FIDE Candidates Tournament 2026 in Cyprus. The Uzbek Grandmaster secured first place with one round to spare and added another significant achievement to his record after winning the 2025 FIDE World Cup. Their match in Geneva will showcase two of the best players from the new generation of chess, with the World Championship title on the line.
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RSG
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