Anish Giri shared his opinion on the FIDE World Championship 2026. Giri says the match is going to be exciting, notes that people should not draw conclusions based on performance, and believes the narrative can change depending on the result of the first game.

Anish Giri

Anish Giri

Netherlands' No. 1

“2700, 2695, 2705… It’s all just numbers, nobody cares. They’re just markers, all relative. But I think what matters, is that the World Championship match is going to be exciting.

Because, I’ve been around for too long. I remember Ding’s matches. I remember Vishy with all his incredible career. He had his own difficult periods here and there. I remember people writing him off. I remember interviews of some 2600 players saying: ‘I think I’m much better than Vishy Anand now, I think I would crush him’. Everybody, even the great Vishy, had his moments of when people were doubting him.

But when the match comes along, it starts from 0-0. And I tell you, if Gukesh will be the first one to win the game in that match, the whole narrative will change completely. Then it will be a game where he looks better than his opponent, inevitably. Even if it’s a bad game, he will look better than his opponent. The whole narrative will shift after just one win.

Of course, if he starts with a loss, the narrative continues. But if it starts with many draws, it will also shift. The moment the match starts, it will be a whole new narrative. It will be that: ‘Gukesh has been hiding his prep the whole time… He’s been focusing on this and now he’s unleashed himself’. Gajewski will give interview and say: ‘Yes, this was a plan all along…’

Let’s just wait for the match and not draw conclusions. I don’t remember a single World Championship match, that I have seen, that went according to scenario that was expected. Even Magnus’s matches when he played Karjakin, he seemed like a big favorite, it was a very difficult match. He almost lost. There were matches with Vishy, when Vishy made incredible comebacks.

I’m almost sure it’s going to be an exciting match. We should not have the tunnel vision. We should look at it more broadly.”

Reigning World Champion Gukesh Dommaraju finished 8th/10th at the Sinquefield Cup 2025, 41st at the FIDE Grand Swiss 2025, and was eliminated in the 3rd round of the FIDE World Cup 2025. In February he finished 9th at the Tata Steel Chess Masters 2026. In March he finished last at the Prague International Chess Festival. In the end of the May Gukesh finished last at the Norway Chess 2026, and in July he finished last at the Chennai Grand Masters 2026.

The FIDE World Championship 2026 is the crowning match to determine the World Champion. Match features defending Champion Gukesh Dommaraju and Uzbek GM Javokhir Sindarov, the winner of the FIDE Candidates Tournament 2026. The location and date of the match will be announced by FIDE later this year.

Credit: Frans Peeters