The International Chess Federation (FIDE) has announced the start of the bidding process for the 2026 World Chess Championship match, with applications now being accepted.
The battle for the chess crown will feature reigning world champion Gukesh Dommaraju of India and Uzbek challenger Javokhir Sindarov, who sensationally won the Candidates Tournament.
The match is tentatively scheduled from November 23 to December 17, lasting 25 days. Notably, this will be the youngest title match in chess history, as both players will be 20 years old at the start of the games.
According to the terms, the estimated tournament budget is $8.5 million, with a minimum prize fund of $2.5 million. The FIDE fee is set at $1.1 million.
Prospective hosts must submit a detailed proposal outlining budget distribution, including commercial, sponsorship, and broadcasting rights, as well as their allocation between FIDE and organizers.
Applications must be submitted by May 31, 2026 (23:59 Lausanne time) to the FIDE secretariat. All documents must be in English.
The federation reserves the right to conduct additional negotiations with applicants and, if necessary, extend the application deadline.
FIDE Executive Director Emil Sutovsky, in a statement on April 15, described this as an "epic clash."
"This is the match with the youngest participants in history for the main title. Two outstanding players. Two real fighters — brave, energetic, purposeful, and composed. Both rely mainly on their high calculation abilities. But, of course, there are significant differences between them. And whoever comes to this match in the best sporting form will win," Sutovsky said.
According to him, India and Uzbekistan "seem like logical options" for hosting.
Sindarov himself prefers the match to be held in a warm country. "Actually, if the match is in December, I would choose a warm country, like Cyprus. I don't want to play the match for the chess crown in cold weather. But overall, it doesn't matter much to me. However, if I had a choice, I would choose a warm place," Javokhir Sindarov said when asked about the venue.
The 20-year-old Sindarov previously secured an early victory at the 2026 Candidates Tournament in Cyprus. The Uzbek grandmaster scored 10 out of 14 points, with six wins and eight draws, without a single loss. In 2025, he became the youngest World Cup winner in history.
For context, the 2024 World Chess Championship match was held in Singapore, from November 25 to December 12 at the Resorts World Sentosa resort on Sentosa Island. Then-18-year-old Indian grandmaster Gukesh Dommaraju defeated reigning champion Ding Liren of China.
The winner retains the world champion title for two years.
Source: www.gazeta.uz