3 min readApr 17, 2026 12:48 AM IST
Former world champion Garry Kasparov has said that on current form Javokhir Sindarov looks “more impressive” than India’s D Gukesh ahead of their upcoming World Chess Championship match at the end of the year. Kasparov also said that should Sindarov manage to defeat Gukesh at the world championship, Magnus Carlsen might be tempted to make a return.
Sindarov won the Candidates tournament in Cyprus without losing a single game and had taken a healthy lead by the time half the tournament had ended.
“The way he won the Candidates, it was very impressive. I must say, it’s hard to impress me. But the way Sindarov played — his timing, the quality of his moves, his ability to withstand pressure and increase the pressure on his opponents — was exceptional,” Kasparov said in an interview with St Louis Chess Club’s YouTube handle. “Compared to Gukesh, if you look at the games, Sindarov looks like the clear favorite. But this match is a special format. Gukesh is very mentally stable, able to defend any position and find resources even in the worst situations. Gukesh has match experience, but for Sindarov, this will be his first serious match. Yes, it’s relatively short — 14 games, we’ve played longer games before — but it will still be very interesting.”
Kasparov also said that if Sindarov beats Gukesh at the world chess championship, world no 1 Magnus Carlsen might be tempted to make a return to the world championship cycle. After winning the world championship title five times, Carlsen walked away from the throne in 2022.
“The current World Champion is 19. The challenger is only 20. But I still want to emphasize that the strongest chess player (Carlsen) is 35. With all due respect. I would love to see Sindarov playing Magnus, because Carlsen is still around. Maybe if Sindarov beats Gukesh, then there will be a chance to bring Magnus back and see how things go.”
Comparing Sindarov and Gukesh, Kasparov said: “Sindarov, you know, is eager to play and I believe that you know he will
benefit greatly from playing against more strong opponents (at Grand Chess Tour) because he’s just entered the elite. It’s quite unique because even Gukesh already played in some of the top
tournaments. I think Sindarov is more like someone having this meteoric rise.”
Kasparov did praise Gukesh for his resilience.
“A match is a match and Gukesh is very resilient. He has a phenomenal ability to defend almost any position and just to look for the last remaining resources in virtually any position. Gukesh has some experience. He played one match while Sindarov will be a rookie for the relatively long match.”
