Sindarov 'faster and better prepped than Gukesh', reveals Anish Giri after Uzbekistani GM's Candidates triumph

Javokhir Sindarov had replaced Fabiano Caruana as the strong favourite to win the 2026 Fide Candidate from the moment he defeated the American Grandmaster in 36 moves in Round 4. And on Tuesday, Sindarov confirmed a World Championship showdown against current title holder Gukesh Dommaraju with a round to spare after playing out a draw against Dutch GM Anish Giri.

Giri was the only player who had a mathematical chance of crashing Sindarov's party at the Cap St Georges Hotel and Resort heading into Round 13. However, despite his best efforts and his experience, the 31-year-old could not prevent the 20-year-old from becoming only the second Uzbekistani to feature in the Chess World Championship after Rustam Kasimdzhanov.

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'I wouldn’t draw any big conclusions yet’

When asked to pick a winner in the World Championship showdown later this year, Giri felt that Sindarov looked "faster and better prepped than Gukesh" based on current form, but also cautioned against making hasty conclusions.

"To be fair, the poor guy (Sindarov) was in a situation facing me where both times he was just fine with the draw, so I didn’t get to witness him in his full glory. But the way he plays right now, he’s faster than Gukesh and he’s better prepped than Gukesh. Both calculate really well, but he just appears to be better," Giri told Fide on Tuesday.

"But again, when Gukesh was winning the Olympiad, we were talking about Gukesh being the most amazing player in the world. He was so good; he crushed the Olympiad, he crushed the Candidates. I think there are many great players and afterwards you try to explain certain things, but I wouldn’t draw any big conclusions yet," the Dutchman continued.

Also Read | Gukesh vs Sindarov: Why India’s chess world champion faces a serious test in youngest title clash

The upcoming World Championship battle is set to the 'youngest' ever in chess history. Gukesh will be 20 during his title defence while Sindarov will likely be celebrating his 21st birthday, which falls on 8 December, midway through the event.

Younger players more ambitious but also more unstable, says Giri

And according to Giri, young players tend to be a little unstable with results, because of which form will play a major role in deciding who the 2026 world chess champion will be.

"I think a lot of these young players are playing really ambitious chess. To be fair, probably no matter how good a form I’m in, I probably will never really score six wins. I mean, even in my best results — I’ve done it maybe 10 times at Wijk aan Zee, a tournament which is a little weaker than the Candidates — my best result has been plus five. I never won six games (like Sindarov at the Candidates).

"So, if you’re younger, maybe they are more ambitious, so maybe their peak results are higher than some of the older players. But as you see with them, they are also unstable. So I think when it comes to Gukesh playing Sindarov, it will be about form, but of course right now, he looks like he’s in better form," Giri added in the chat after the conclusion of Round 13.

The dates and venue for the World Championship are yet to be announced, but the mega showdown will likely take place in the months of November and December – the usual window for the World Championship.