Suleymenov Picks Sindarov Over Gukesh, and Explains Why

Kazakh GM Alisher Suleymenov is back in Chennai for the 1st Chola Chess GM 2026, and in an interview with Devansh Singh of ChessBase India he named Javokhir Sindarov the favourite for the World Chess Championship match.

His reasoning is personal rather than statistical. He has met both players over the board and came away with a view of how each handles pressure.

Why Chennai keeps calling him back

Suleymenov is the 21st seed in the Chola GM Open. Earlier this year he won the 1st Chola Chess International GM Round Robin in the same city. By his count this is his seventh trip to India and third to Chennai, the other having been the 44th Chess Olympiad, where he says he gained even more rating points than at the Round Robin.

He praised the hotel and the conditions provided by the All India Chess Federation and Chola Chess. He also liked the Round Robin’s idea of inviting young, motivated foreign players instead of older grandmasters who, in his words, have “sort of quit chess”.

That made a norm harder to earn, he said, but the long-term benefit mattered more to him.

Gukesh at 12, and again in Samarkand

Suleymenov’s history with Gukesh Dommaraju goes back to 2019. He was 19 and rated 2430, Gukesh was 12 and rated 2500, and he beat him.

A first-day problem forced a double round, so they played in the afternoon. He suggested the boy may have been tired, but added that he played extremely well and is still proud of the game.

They met again at the 2023 World Rapid Championship in Samarkand. Suleymenov felt he was “sort of winning” but could not hold the advantage in a complicated position, and Gukesh outcalculated him.

The Sindarov case

Against Sindarov he has played far more classical games, and the record is painful. By his own account he should have a plus score, yet he failed to draw even once. In one game he was completely winning, in another he had more time and a nearly decisive edge.

His conclusion is that Sindarov is “a bit stronger” psychologically. He said Sindarov never settled for a draw from a worse position, and in equal ones kept pressing. “He is a real fighter, I believe.”

Suleymenov added that he is not rooting for anyone and just wants a good match. For a different angle, see Speelman’s reading of the match through past attackers.

Ambition without the stress

Asked about his own target at Chola, he said the ambitious aim is to win but that the field is extremely strong, so he mainly wants to play well. After a 17-year career, he said, he has managed to play with no stress despite high aims. Earlier in his career, playing close to ten tournaments a year, they backfired many times.

For a young player chasing a first title or norm, he would still pick ambition over its absence, though he thinks the best approach balances both and comes with experience.

He described two unnamed youngsters: one better at chess but less ready psychologically, who recently underperformed, and one who believes he is super strong, which helps him even if it costs energy.

Today’s game

In round play he drew with Shubhi. Suleymenov said he was slightly better out of the opening with long-term, risk-free pressure. He won a pawn, but she defended well and got active pieces in the endgame.

He then missed a defensive resource of hers and it became a draw. He thinks he could have posed more practical problems earlier, though he called the result objectively fair.