Uzbekistan, Tashkent – Podrobno.uz. The global chess community is eagerly awaiting a historic showdown: from November 23 to December 17, 2026, the World Chess Championship match will take place between reigning champion Gukesh Dommaraju of India and challenger Javokhir Sindorov of Uzbekistan. According to the official website of the International Chess Federation (FIDE), this duel will be the 'youngest' in the history of the fight for the chess crown — both grandmasters will be only 20 years old at the start of the match.

The total budget of this grand sporting event is estimated at $8.5 million, with a minimum prize fund of $2.5 million. The deadline for cities wishing to host this historic match to submit bids is May 31. The match regulations will be finalized by July 1, 2026.

The path of the opponents to this match has been impressive: Gukesh Dommaraju became the youngest champion in FIDE history at age 18, defeating China's Ding Liren in December 2024 and breaking Garry Kasparov's long-standing record. Javokhir Sindorov earned the right to battle for the crown by winning the 2026 Candidates Tournament in Paphos ahead of schedule.

At the Candidates Tournament, Sindorov showed a phenomenal result, scoring 10 out of 14 possible points without suffering a single defeat. The Uzbek grandmaster finished qualification with six wins and eight draws to his name.

Traditionally, the championship match consists of 14 games. To win the title, one of the participants needs to score 7.5 points; if the score is tied at 7-7 after all games, the fate of the chess crown will be decided in a tie-break.

Source: podrobno.uz