World Champion Gukesh to Face Sindarov in Title Clash

The FIDE World Championship Match 2026 will be held in Geneva, Switzerland, with defending world champion D. Gukesh taking on Uzbekistan Grandmaster Javokhir Sindarov. The championship will officially begin on November 22, while the first classical game is scheduled for November 24. Both players will be 20 when the match begins, making it the youngest World Championship contest in chess history.

The match will feature a maximum of 14 classical games, with the first player to reach 7.5 points declared the world champion. If the score is tied 7-7 after 14 games, the title will be decided through tiebreaks on December 12. The total prize fund is $2.5 million, or roughly ₹24 crore, with each player receiving $200,000 (around ₹1.91 crore) for every classical game won.