Watch: Gukesh seeks blessings of Neem Karoli Baba ahead of World Chess Championship match against Javokhir Sindarov

Gukesh and Neem Karoli Baba NEW DELHI: Reigning World Chess Champion D Gukesh visited Neem Karoli Baba Ashram on Thursday to seek blessings ahead of his much-anticipated World Chess Championship match against Javokhir Sindarov of Uzbekistan.The visit comes as Gukesh prepares for a crucial test in his young career, when the Indian grandmaster will defend his world title against a challenger who secured his place by winning the Candidates Tournament earlier this year.Gukesh made history in 2024 when he defeated China’s Ding Liren to become the youngest world champion in the history of classical chess. He will now look to retain his crown against Sindarov, who has emerged as one of the sport’s most promising young talents.Gukesh’s visit to the Neem Karoli Baba Ashram adds a personal dimension to the preparations for the championship.As preparations for the match against Sindarov intensify, the Indian grandmaster will look to combine his technical preparation and competitive focus with the confidence needed to overcome the pressure of defending the most prestigious individual title in chess.Watch:The upcoming match is already historic, both players will be 20 at the start of the match, making it the youngest World Championship duel in chess history.According to the schedule confirmed by FIDE, the opening ceremony will take place on November 22, with the first classic match scheduled for November 24. The match will be held at the Fondation Martin Bodmer in Cologne, Geneva, Switzerland, with the last classic match scheduled for December 11. If necessary, a tiebreaker will be played on December 12.The match will feature a maximum of 14 classic games, with the first player to reach 7.5 points claiming the title. If the score is tied at 7-7 after the classic games, the championship will be decided by tiebreaks.Players will have 120 minutes for the first 40 moves, followed by an additional 30 minutes for the rest of the game, with a 30-second increment introduced from move 41. The total prize pool is $2.5 million, with each player receiving $200,000 for each game won and the remaining amount split equally at the end of the match.