Sindarov recalls first encounter with Gukesh and if he considers him a friend: 'I’m a very straightforward guy, but...'

Uzbek Grandmaster Javokhir Sindarov has shared his thoughts on facing reigning world champion Dommaraju Gukesh, saying he is trying not to get carried away by the hype around their upcoming World Chess Championship match later this year.

Sindarov recently came face-to-face with Gukesh during the Grand Chess Tour: Super Rapid & Blitz Poland 2026, where the two players produced an intense mini-battle before the world clash. Gukesh had earlier won their rapid game, while Sindarov struck back strongly in the blitz section, winning twice.

Talking about the importance of these games before his recent encounter with Gukesh in the blitz section, Sindarov made it clear that he is trying to stay focused on the current tournament and not overthinking about the world championship match.

"Actually, maybe, but I don’t want to think too much like I’m going to play against the world champion. I’m just trying to focus every game on playing against the world’s best players, and I will try to play good chess. I don’t think about this too much because you can go crazy if you think about all these things. My match will be at the end of the year, and right now I’m trying to focus on my next few tournaments," Sindarov said.

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Sindarov also reflected on when he first became aware of Gukesh, recalling that their rivalry goes back many years. "It’s actually a long time ago, maybe 10 years ago or even more. I remember we played our first game in maybe 2016 or 2017. He was very young, and I had a very good score against him in classical chess. I won two times and had one draw. I can’t remember if we played rapid or blitz, but I first heard about him when he was becoming very strong," he said.

"He was younger than me as a grandmaster. I think I was second place at that time, and he probably even beat Sergey Karjakin if I remember correctly. But I don’t clearly remember. At that time, I knew he would become a very strong player," Sindarov added.

Sindarov on his friendship with Gukesh

He also said that he closely followed Gukesh’s rise in the circuit and was impressed by how quickly he developed into a grandmaster at a very young age. "When I realised he was very close to becoming a grandmaster, I started watching all his tournaments. Of course, he is very strong, and he became a grandmaster younger than me. It’s fantastic," Sindarov said.

On a personal level, however, Sindarov admitted that there is no close relationship between them off the board. "I have a lot of friends. I’m a very straightforward guy, but I’ve never spoken with Gukesh. I have friends from India — Arjun, Nihal. I’m very good friends with them, but I’ve never spoken with Gukesh. So we only talk about the game, nothing too much beyond that," he said.

The Uzbek GM had replaced Gukesh in the full-time lineup after the Indian withdrew from the Grand Chess Tour to focus on preparation for the World Championship match. After that, Sindarov won the Candidates 2026 title to become Gukesh's challenger for their battle later this year.