Javokhir Sindarov shared his thoughts on Gukesh Dommaraju and their upcoming World Championship Match. Sindarov calls Gukesh a strong player, and notes that he will prepare for the match as if he would play Gukesh in his best form.

Javokhir Sindarov

Javokhir Sindarov

World's No. 4

“We have about three months before the World Championship match. Before that, I have very strong tournaments, and I will try to focus on them. Of course, I haven’t forgotten about the Championship match, and I will also work a lot towards it.

In my opinion, Gukesh is playing very well. I think his problem is that when he gets a good position, even a winning one, he tries to tilt. I don’t know exactly what his mistake is, but if you look at his games, he’s really playing very well, in my opinion.

I think he has some problems, but I don’t care about that. I know he’s a very strong player. He can play extremely good chess, which I feel when I play against him. So, I will try to focus on Gukesh in his best form.

I will prepare as if he will play in his best form, and I will focus properly on my preparation.”

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 match will take place in Geneva, Switzerland from November 25 to December 15.

Credit: Lennart Ootes