Sindarov: The match with Gukesh will be the most difficult tournament of my life
Grandmaster Javokhir Sindarov admitted he's unsure whether he'll get another chance to play for the world championship title, calling the upcoming match the toughest tournament of his career. The 20-year-old Uzbek told The New Indian Express.
Sindarov: Match with Gukesh is the toughest tournament of my life
Grandmaster Javokhir Sindarov expressed doubt that he will ever have another opportunity to compete for the world championship title, describing the upcoming match as the most difficult tournament of his career.
Sindarov, who won the Candidates Tournament, will face reigning world champion Gukesh Dommaraju in the chess crown match, which will take place in Geneva. The first game is scheduled for November 24.
"This tournament will be the toughest of my life," the publication quotes Sindarov as saying. He also emphasized that playing 14 games against the same opponent in three weeks is no easy task, and did not rule out the possibility that he may not get a second chance to compete for the title.
However, unlike Gukesh, who almost completely abandoned tournament participation to prepare for the match, Sindarov has chosen a different approach. The Candidates Tournament winner maintains a busy tournament schedule: next up is the Global Chess League, followed by a match for the Uzbekistan national team at the Olympiad in Samarkand. Only after the Olympiad does the Uzbek player plan to begin a full training camp before the match.
Sindarov described his opponent's approach as understandable. "As for Gukesh, I understand him," he told The Indian Express, noting that the Indian chess player played many tournaments last year and apparently felt unwell psychologically, which may have led him to decide he needed to work on certain aspects of his preparation.
Meanwhile, Sindarov leads the FIDE Circuit standings for the 2026-2027 season after a successful year.
The opponents in the upcoming match could meet even earlier, at the upcoming Olympiad in Samarkand: Gukesh will lead the Indian team, and Sindarov will lead the Uzbekistan team, the tournament's defending champions. This could bring the future participants of the match together at the board just a few weeks before it begins.
As both chess players have previously stated, there is no warm personal relationship between them.