In a feat perhaps never seen before in Candidates chess, Uzbek grandmaster Javakhir Sindrov upset the reigning champion in a world championship match against defending champion D Gokesh of India in Cyprus.Having won six of his 13 games and lost none, the 20-year-old drew Dutchman Anish Gerry in the 13th round on Tuesday and also missed out on the Candidates Chess Tournament in Cyprus in one round. He averaged 9.5 points in rebounds and 7.5 in rebounds. If Gakesh won the candidates in 2024 was a shock, Sandarov in 2026 was all shocked and surprised. In 2024, Gokesh defeated China’s Ding Liren in the 14th and final game of their match.Among the previous seven contenders in this format since 2013, only V Anand (2014) and Ian Nippomniachi (2022) had won the event before the final round. Whether Sundarov’s challenge ends with a prize-winning move will be decided a few months from now by a new chapter in Indo-Uzbek rivalry with Gokesh and the new prince.Gokesh-Sundarov will be the ‘youngest ever World Chess Championship match-up’, with a combined age of 40, breaking the record set by Magnus Carlsen vs Svargi Karjakin in 2016 when both were 26. They are coached by IM Roman Widoniak and second in command is GM Mukhedin Mudamnov.Sandrov told the FIDE webcast: “Last week was difficult. I couldn’t sleep properly. I wanted to finish in the top 3 and show that I wasn’t lucky to qualify for this tournament.” Compared to Indian players who work 10 hours a day, Sundaroff said he has not worked as hard since becoming GM in 2019. “I used to play Counter-Strike (video game) a lot. After the quarantine, I started working hard.”Asked about his preferred venue for a match against Gokesh, he said, “I don’t want to play a match in cold weather in Uzbekistan. I would like a warm country like Cyprus.”He told FIDE Broadcast that he was very happy to finish it before the final round.
