’55-45 for Javokhir Sindarov’: Russian GM Peter Svidler gives World Chess C’ship challenger narrow edge over D Gukesh | Chess News

Gukesh Dommaraju and Javokhir Sindarov

NEW DELHI: Russian Grandmaster Peter Svidler believes Javokhir Sindarov holds a slight advantage over reigning world champion D Gukesh ahead of their upcoming World Championship match but feels it would be unfair to give the Uzbek a significantly higher edge.Speaking to FIDE, Svidler gave Sindarov a 55-45 advantage, while stressing that Gukesh’s experience and ability in the unique World Championship format should not be underestimated.“For this match, 60% [for Javokhir Sindarov] is already very high. Even with the kind of a year and a half Gukesh has had, I don’t think going higher than 55 is justifiable,” Svidler said.“He’s still a very strong player, it’s still a very specific format. So, I’m kind of willing to go 55-45 for Sindarov, but I don’t think I’m willing to go higher.”Gukesh, meanwhile, is gearing up for the biggest challenge of his career as he prepares to defend his world title against Sindarov in a 14-game classical chess match scheduled from November 24 to December 12 in Geneva, Switzerland.

Gukesh aims to defend World Chess Championship title

The 20-year-old Indian recently visited the famous Tirumala Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple in Andhra Pradesh to seek blessings ahead of the title defence. The visit came days after he also offered prayers at Neem Karoli Baba’s ashram.The upcoming contest will be historic, with both players set to be 20 years old when the match begins, making it the youngest World Championship encounter in chess history.Gukesh made history in December 2024 when he defeated China’s Ding Liren to become the youngest undisputed World Chess Champion at the age of 18 years, six months and 24 days. He also became only the second Indian, after Viswanathan Anand, to claim the prestigious title.The championship will feature a maximum of 14 classical games, with the first player to reach 7.5 points being crowned champion. If the scores are level at 7-7, the title will be decided through tiebreaks.The opening ceremony is scheduled for November 22, while the first classical game will be played on November 24 at the Fondation Martin Bodmer in Cologny, Geneva. The final classical game is scheduled for December 11, with December 12 reserved for a possible tiebreak.The championship carries a total prize fund of $2.5 million, with each player receiving $200,000 for every game won and the remaining prize money to be shared equally.