Gukesh has his task cut out against in-form Sindarov

Chess is getting faster. Long gone are the days when the players would return to resume their game after sleeping over the position. Everybody loves a blitz game, millions of which are played every day on online platforms.

But there is one event that the fans of the mind sport across the world eagerly look forward to that would go on for weeks, played over games that would last several hours. The long battle between two of the world’s sharpest minds across a board of 64 black-and-white squares has fascinated mankind since the 19th century.

The romance about the World chess championship is undeniable. So the world will turn its attention to Geneva come November 25.

The stage has finally been set for the match between D. Gukesh and Javokhir Sindarov. It indeed took FIDE a while to declare the venue. The world chess governing body even had to postpone the deadline for submissions from those interested.

Singapore was the host for the last Word title match, in which Gukesh defeated Ding Liren of China. It was a well-organised and well-attended match in the island of Sentosa.

It was the first time that Singapore was conducting a World title match. Switzerland has done it before.

Brissago had hosted the 2004 World championship match between Vladimir Kramnik and Peter Leko, while in 1998 Lausanne was the venue for the match between Anatoly Karpov and Viswanathan Anand, who incidentally had made the announcement about the Geneva match, in his capacity as FIDE’s interim president.

Anand had lost that match, though in rather unfair circumstances. He had come through a gruelling knockout qualifier featuring 97 players in the Dutch city of Groningen, while a fresh Karpov was waiting for him in Lausanne for their match, which would kick off just two days later.

There has been plenty of time for both Gukesh and Sindarov to prepare. And preparation plays an important role in a World championship match.

The recent form and the current world rankings may suggest the Uzbek has an edge, but the match should be closer. Granted, Gukesh’s fall after the triumph in Singapore has defied belief, but don’t forget he is only 20. Sindarov has been playing fabulous chess over the last year or so, but that doesn’t mean he cannot be stopped.

It would not be easy, surely. Gukesh will need to reproduce the kind of chess that made him the World No. 3, just last year.