Fresh off one of the most dominant Candidates Tournament campaigns in modern chess history, Javokhir Sindarov officially arrived as the newest superstar of the sport — ready to challenge D Gukesh for the crown. But despite all the hype, Indian GM R Praggnanandhaa believes the clash won’t be as one-sided as everyone is predicting it to be. Sindarov’s Historic Statement Sindarov stamped his authority on the chess world by winning the 2026 Candidates Tournament in Cyprus with a composed final-round draw against Wei Yi. His final score of 10/14 was the highest ever recorded in the modern eight-player double round-robin Candidates format introduced in 2013. And now, the 20-year-old Uzbek prodigy is heading straight toward a blockbuster World Championship showdown with Gukesh later this year. Indians Hit Back Former world champions Garry Kasparov and Magnus Carlsen have both openly suggested the Uzbek could even start as the favourite against Gukesh in the world title match. But just as the narrative around Sindarov’s invincibility began growing louder, he hit a little bump on the road. First, Gukesh himself delivered a huge statement win against the Uzbek at the Grand Chess Tour: Super Rapid and Blitz Poland 2026, reminding everyone that he’s still the defending world champion. Then, Pragg produced a superb performance against Sindarov in Round 2 of the Super Chess Classics in Bucharest last night, handing the Uzbek another defeat and snapping the aura surrounding his unstoppable run in Classical Chess. Pragg Shushes The Hype Despite the growing chatter around Sindarov being the favourite, Praggnanandhaa kept things grounded. “The world championship is six months away. No one knows what form they will go in,” Pragg told ChessBase India. “I think it’s just 50-50. I don’t think anyone is a favourite. It’s just about who plays the best at the World Championship that will take it.” A Generational Rivalry Begins? The upcoming clash between Gukesh and Sindarov is already shaping up as one of the most fascinating World Championship matches in decades. Both players are just 20 years old, which means chess is about to witness the youngest World Championship match in history.