- ChampionGukesh Dommaraju, India
- ChallengerJavokhir Sindarov, Uzbekistan
- WhereCologny, Geneva (Fondation Martin Bodmer)
- WhenNovember 24–December 11, 2026
- GamesAt most 14, first to 7½
- TiebreakDecember 12, if it's 7–7
- Start3 p.m. in Geneva (14:00 UTC)
- ScoreGukesh 0–0 Sindarov
We follow the match here as it is played: every game with its moves, its opening and the score, the newest first. You can watch the games on the living board or review them yourself.
The score and the schedule
| Day | Game | White | Result | Gukesh– |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue Nov 24 | 1 | – | – | |
| Wed Nov 25 | 2 | – | – | |
| Thu Nov 26 | 3 | – | – | |
| Fri Nov 27 | Rest day | |||
| Sat Nov 28 | 4 | – | – | |
| Sun Nov 29 | 5 | – | – | |
| Mon Nov 30 | 6 | – | – | |
| Tue Dec 1 | Rest day | |||
| Wed Dec 2 | 7 | – | – | |
| Thu Dec 3 | 8 | – | – | |
| Fri Dec 4 | 9 | – | – | |
| Sat Dec 5 | Rest day | |||
| Sun Dec 6 | 10 | – | – | |
| Mon Dec 7 | 11 | – | – | |
| Tue Dec 8 | 12 | – | – | |
| Wed Dec 9 | Rest day | |||
| Thu Dec 10 | 13 | – | – | |
| Fri Dec 11 | 14 | – | – | |
| Sat Dec 12 | Tiebreak, if it's 7–7 after fourteen games | |||
The games
The first game is on Tuesday, November 24. The games appear here once they have been played, the newest first.
The players
Champion · India
Gukesh Dommaraju
World champion since December 2024. He won the title in Singapore against Ding Liren at 18, and now defends it for the first time.
Challenger · Uzbekistan
Javokhir Sindarov
Won the Candidates tournament in Cyprus in April 2026 with 10 points out of 14, without a single loss. The autumn before, he won the World Cup in Goa.
Both are 20 when the match begins, and no title match in the open section has had two players so young. Sindarov turns 21 on December 8, the day set for the twelfth game. On FIDE's world list for November 2026, Sindarov is No. 4, rated 2782, and Gukesh is No. 26, rated 2710.
According to FIDE, Sindarov is the first player from Uzbekistan to reach a match for the undisputed title. Rustam Kasimdzhanov of Uzbekistan won FIDE's title in 2004, in the years when there were two world champions.
How the match is played
The match is at most fourteen classical games. The first to 7½ points has won, and then no more games are played.
Each player has 120 minutes for the first 40 moves. Then come 30 more minutes, and from move 41 on, 30 seconds are added for every move.
The players may not agree to a draw before Black's 40th move. Until then, a draw can only be claimed for a threefold repetition, and only through the arbiter. Stalemate is a draw as always.
The colors are drawn at the opening ceremony. Whoever gets White in the first game has White in every odd-numbered game.
If it's 7–7
If it's 7–7 after fourteen games, the match is decided in a tiebreak on December 12. First come four games at 15 minutes plus 10 seconds a move. If it's still level, two games follow at 10 minutes plus 5 seconds a move, and then, if needed, two at 3 minutes plus 2 seconds a move. If it's level even then, single games are played at 3 minutes plus 2 seconds a move, with colors reversed after each draw, until someone wins. Before each part, lots decide who starts with White.
Where and when
The match is played at the Fondation Martin Bodmer in Cologny, just outside Geneva: a library and museum for some of the world's most important texts, from papyri to medieval manuscripts. It is the first title match in Switzerland since 2004, when Vladimir Kramnik kept his title against Péter Lékó in Brissago.
The match opens on Sunday, November 22, and the first game is played two days later. There is a rest day after every third game. The prize fund is $2.5 million.
FIDE broadcasts the games live on the match's website, worldchampionship.fide.com, and on its YouTube channel.
Earlier title matches
Gukesh won the title in 2024 in the last game against Ding Liren. You can replay it here, along with other games from title matches:
- Fischer vs. Spassky, Game 6
- Karpov vs. Kasparov, Game 16
- Carlsen vs. Karjakin, 2016 World Championship
- Ding vs. Gukesh, 2024 World Championship, Game 14
All eighteen world champions from Steinitz in 1886 to Gukesh, with their matches, are among the great chess players. How the title came about is told in the history of chess, and Who is the world chess champion? has the short answer.
The women's title match
The women's world champion, Ju Wenjun of China, is to defend her title against Vaishali Rameshbabu of India, who won the Women's Candidates in April 2026. FIDE has not yet announced when and where the match will be played. FIDE's own documents call it the Women's World Championship Match 2027.
Frequently asked questions
When does the 2026 World Chess Championship start?
The first game is on Tuesday, November 24, 2026, at 3 p.m. in Geneva (14:00 UTC). The match opens on Sunday, November 22.
Where is the match played?
At the Fondation Martin Bodmer, a library and museum in Cologny, just outside Geneva, Switzerland.
How many games are played?
At most fourteen. The first to 7½ points wins, and then no more games are played.
What happens at 7–7?
Then the match is decided in a tiebreak on December 12: first four games at 15 minutes plus 10 seconds a move, and if it's still level after them, shorter games until someone wins.
Where can I watch the games?
FIDE broadcasts them live on the match's website, worldchampionship.fide.com, and on its YouTube channel. Here, each game appears once it has been played.
Sources
- FIDE: Regulations for the FIDE World Championship Match 2026 (CM2-2026/06): the schedule, the format, the time control, the draw rule, the colors and the tiebreak
- FIDE: Salesforce FIDE World Championship Match 2026: Schedule, format, and prize fund confirmed (September 14, 2026): the venue, the players and the prize fund
- FIDE's ticket site for the match: each game's start, in Geneva time
- FIDE: The young king faces his toughest challenge (November 7, 2026) and Javokhir Sindarov is writing a new page in chess history (November 13, 2026): the birthdays
- FIDE: FIDE Women's World Championship Cycle 2025–2026, and Regulations for the FIDE Women's World Cup 2027
- FIDE's world list for November 2026
- The players' pages on this site and their sources (Gukesh, Sindarov, Kramnik, Ju Wenjun)
Each game has its source under its moves.
Updated November 14, 2026