Gukesh beats Sindarov in their first clash after the FIDE Candidates 2026

by Sagar Shah and Devansh Singh - 07/05/2026

Day 2 of the Super Rapid 2026 saw the biggest pairing of the event - Javokhir Sindarov, the challenger took on World Champion D. Gukesh - an encounter everyone was super excited to watch! And the game lived up to its excitement! While this game was surely the highlight of the day, there were two players who showed incredible performances - Hans Niemann and Wesley So. We bring you a detailed day two report, along with interviews with both the leaders.

Javokhir Sindarov vs Gukesh

There are some games that keep you on the edge of your seat and this was one of them. Javokhir Sindarov came to Warsaw after his epic performance at the Candidates in Cyprus. Gukesh has been struggling with his form for quite some time now. A game between the World Champion and the World Championship Challenger was something that everyone looked forward to with great anticipation.

The most exciting game of day 2 at the Super Rapid 2026 Grand Chess Tour | Photo: Lennart Ootes/Grand Chess Tour

As the game began, one could already see the glimpses of what we will witness later this year in the World Championship Match - absolute and total uncompromising chess! Sindarov opens with 1.e4, Gukesh plays 1...c6. Both want to win. Both want to make a statement. Get the small psychological edge of having beaten your World Championship opponent.

Sindarov sacrifices a pawn and gets compensation in return. The compensation is Gukesh's weak king. Gukesh defends well and brings his queen to defend his weak king. The position is balanced. At this point Sindarov gets excited. He spots an attacking option and goes for it. He sacrifices a complete knight! As I sit there in the auditorium staring at the players and the big screen, I had no engine bar to help me. I didn't understand if Sindarov was a genius or had just blundered. I am pretty sure Gukesh also had the same question on his mind.

Javokhir Sindarov's Nxe4?!? was a shocking move that was perhaps practically quite justified!

Gukesh's pieces were all clumsy and passive, but it was just temporary. He had to weather the storm, because on the other side of it, he would be a complete piece up. Amidst all of this, I saw the World Champion coming back to his 2024 self. He zoomed in on the board like he loves to do when he smells a chance. He was nodding his head to make sure he had calculated all lines to precision. Sindarov like he always does, was flowing with his moves. Gukesh made several only moves to completely neutralize his opponent's attack. And then the mind games began.

With board players down to their last minute, Sindarov picks up the queen in his hand, signaling to Gukesh that he was going to queen his pawn. Gukesh remained focused as if he had not seen what Javokhir had done. He made a few more strong moves and then picked up his own queen! No action was going unanswered.

When there was no further counterplay left, Sindarov resigned. As he stretched out his hand in resignation, Gukesh shook it and immediately pumped his fist in the air. The last we saw him doing that was when he beat Fabiano Caruana at the Global Chess League 2025. It felt like an emotion that was bottled within Gukesh and he just let it out. His detractors can no longer say that the match will be a one-sided affair.

Gukesh's fist pump after winning the game! | Photo: Lennart Ootes/Grand Chess Tour

Yes, it was a rapid game and the match will be classical - but the players will be the same. With Gukesh's victory and fist pump, it is clear that Sindarov is going to get even more motivated to come back. And he has two chances on the 8th and 9th of May with 2 blitz games! Whatever be the result, one thing is clear - it is going to be an amazing World Championship 2026 we will witness. Two youngsters - both of whom believe in themselves, have absolutely no fear are going to go for each other's throat.

A very happy Gukesh after winning this game against Sindarov | Photo: Lennart Ootes/Grand Chess Tour

And while we all wonder who will be the winner - I for once truly feel, it will be chess who will benefit the most. We will get 14 games of amazing fighting chess! The World Championship is 6 months away, but I already cannot wait for it. What about you?

Round 4

Wojtaszek scored a huge win in the 4th round by downing D. Gukesh. An interesting aspect of this game is that Wojtaszek was Gukesh's second for the 2024 World Championship Match! | Photo: Lennart Ootes/Grand Chess Tour

Wesley So won a very nice game against Javokhir Sindarov. Notice how Javokhir in a relatively even game simply blunders a pawn with ...Bb6? Wesley was super alert as he chopped off the g7 pawn!

Fabi showed an incredible idea but couldn't finish off the game| Photo: Lennart Ootes/Grand Chess Tour

What a pretty concept. After gxf6, you go exf6 and there is no stopping Bh6-g7, Rh3 and Rh8#

Results Round 4

Round 5

Niemann was in trouble against Fabi, but showed his resilience. Check out his king walk as he marched on to victory against the world no.2| Photo: Lennart Ootes/Grand Chess Tour

Wesley So was super solid against Alireza Firouzja and gave his opponent absolutely no chances!| Photo: Lennart Ootes/Grand Chess Tour

Results Round 5

Round 6

Hans Niemann has shown absolutely amazing skills in this event. He managed to beat Gukesh, Caruana and Firouzja. This game against Firouzja is quite a masterful endgame.| Photo: Lennart Ootes/Grand Chess Tour

It was an extremely tough day for Javokhir Sindarov as he lost all 3 games| Photo: Lennart Ootes/Grand Chess Tour

Fedoseev doged a massive bullet in a completely lost position against Wojtaszek| Photo: Lennart Ootes/Grand Chess Tour

Results Round 6

Standings after 6 Rounds

Graphic: Grand Chess Tour

Round 7 Pairings

Photo Gallery: Here

Video Gallery by ChessBase India: Here

Hans is on 9.0/12 and is jointly leading along with Wesley So. We ask Hans about how he can play such flawless chess | Video: ChessBase India

A Detailed interview with Wesley, where he talks about his wins over Sindarov and Alireza, and the quick draw with Gukesh | Video: ChessBase India

Check out the vlog of IM Sagar Shah reaching Warsaw | Video: ChessBase India

Check out the game between Javokhir Sindarov and D Gukesh, along with analysis by IM Sagar Shah and behind the scenes | Video: ChessBase India

Opening Ceremony

The Lineup | Photo: Lennart Ootes/Grand Chess Tour

Guess what's in Fabi's phone | Photo: Lennart Ootes/Grand Chess Tour

Who won the game? | Photo: Lennart Ootes/Grand Chess Tour

The happiest guy after the candidates! | Photo: Lennart Ootes/Grand Chess Tour

Is it 6 or is it 9? | Photo: Lennart Ootes/Grand Chess Tour

The opening ceremony of the Super Rapid and Blitz 2026

Schedule: Rapid

Source: Official Site

Schedule: Blitz

Source: Official Site

Prize Fund

The total prize fund for each Rapid & Blitz event shall be Two Hundred Thousand Dollars ($200,000), which shall be distributed as follows:

Source: Official Site

Format and Time Control

Rapid: 10-player Round Robin, with 25 minutes + 10-second increment from move 1.

Blitz: 10-player Double Round Robin, with 5 minutes + 2-second increment from move 1.

Point System

2 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, and 0 points for a loss in a Rapid game
1 point for a win, ½ point for a draw, and 0 points for a loss in a Blitz game.

Line Up

Check out the Line-up: Here | Photo: Lennart Ootes/Grand Chess Tour

Venue: Museum of the History of Polish Jews

The Museum of the History of Polish Jews, also known as POLIN Museum, is located in Warsaw, Poland. It stands on the site of the former Warsaw Ghetto and serves as a cultural and educational center dedicated to preserving and showcasing the thousand-year history of Polish Jews. Opened in 2013, the museum offers a comprehensive journey through centuries of Jewish presence in Poland, highlighting their contributions to Polish society and the challenges they faced.