In the Gukesh — Sindarov match, the prize fund will amount to 2.5 million dollars
The world championship match will consist of a maximum of 14 classical games. The first to score 7.5 points
The prize fund for the Gukesh – Sindarov match will be 2.5 million dollars
FIDE has announced the regulations for the 2026 World Championship match. According to them, the reigning world champion Gukesh Dommaraju will defend his chess crown against Uzbek grandmaster Javohir Sindarov.
The match will take place from November 22 to December 12 at the Fondation Martin Bodmer complex in Geneva, Switzerland. The first classical game will be played on November 24, and the last on December 11. If the score is tied after 14 games, a tie-break will be held on December 12.
The world championship match will consist of a maximum of 14 classical games. The first chess player to score 7.5 points will win the championship.
Gukesh and Sindarov will both be 20 years old when the match begins. Thus, this will be the championship match between the two youngest chess players in the history of the world championship.
Javohir Sindarov earned the right to participate in the world championship match by winning the 2026 FIDE Candidates Tournament. He scored 10 out of 14 points in the competition, did not lose a single game, and secured the tournament victory with one round to spare.
Prior to this, Sindarov also won the 2025 FIDE World Cup. He will be the first chess player in the history of Uzbekistan to participate in a match for the title of absolute world champion.
Gukesh became the world champion in 2024 in Singapore by defeating Ding Liren with a score of 7.5:6.5. At that time, at the age of 18, he became the youngest absolute world champion in chess history.
The total prize fund of the match is 2.5 million dollars. According to the regulations, a chess player will receive 200 thousand dollars for each victory, and the remaining funds will be distributed between the two participants.
The world championship match will be held at the Fondation Martin Bodmer — a famous library-museum where rare manuscripts and documents related to world literature and human history are preserved.