Nepomniachtchi gives blunt verdict on Gukesh's form: 'Every top GM would have very good chance against him'

Russian grandmaster Ian Nepomniachtchi has raised eyebrows in the chess world with his sharp assessment of reigning World Champion Dommaraju Gukesh, saying that nearly every top GM right now would have a strong chance against him in a World Championship match.

Speaking to ChessBase India on the sidelines of the Sardinia World Chess Festival 2026, Nepomniachtchi pointed to Gukesh’s performances over the past year, saying that while the Indian star has played some good chess in patches, he has also been inconsistent across tournaments.

"Based on what we saw from Gukesh last year, I believe nearly every top GM would have a very good chance in a match against him, to put it mildly. Because he just plays badly at times. Of course, there is always a chance of a bad tournament or a bad sequence, but for him it’s pretty much lost after the Candidates. I think the match against Ding was also very poor from both sides. But okay, the match itself is very special, it’s all about psychology, stamina, and so on," he said.

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"After the Candidates, I think he clinched first place, but he played badly in the majority of tournaments and even overscored. That is somewhat disturbing for his fans and coaches. I’m not sure if taking a big break from classical chess would help him maintain his level for the upcoming match," Nepomniachtchi added.

Nepo backs Sindarov

The two-time Candidates winner and former World Championship challenger gave Sindarov an edge over Gukesh going into the match. Nepo said that Sindarov remains the favourite to win the title, but everything will depend on his form before the November encounter.

"But once again, if we speak about April 16 when the Candidates got over, of course it’s clear who the favourite is, Sindarov will win like 4 to 1. But tournaments in June, July, August and so on can change everything completely. Because if Sindarov blunders like crazy, or not understand positions, and for example Gukesh, on the contrary plays a good tournament, who knows. As for now, of course, Sindarov has like 50 more elo points and he's clearly on a hot streak but I believe a lot of things can happen until November," he added.

The comments come at a time when Gukesh’s performances have been closely watched. After becoming the youngest world champion in history in 2024, the Indian prodigy has shown dismal performances. He even announced a break from classical chess to focus on preparation ahead of his title defence.

His challenger, Javokhir Sindarov, has been in outstanding form. Sindarov produced a sensational run at the 2026 Candidates, finishing with a record-breaking 10 points to secure his place in the World Championship match. He also lifted the FIDE World Cup in Goa last year.

At the recent Grand Chess Tour: Super Rapid and Blitz Poland 2026, Gukesh won their one-off rapid encounter, but Sindarov struck back by winning both blitz games on consecutive days. But Sindarov has also seen a dip in his form since the Candidates, making the scheduled November encounter even more interesting.