The video:
Javokhir Sindarov gives himself a 50.1% chance of winning the World Championship match against Gukesh Dommaraju. Asked to split 100 percentage points between the two players, the Uzbek Grandmaster wrote down 50.1 for himself and 49.9 for the World Champion, in a video from the Clutch Chess Champions Showdown in Saint Louis.
In the clip, recorded with Indonesia's IM Irene Sukandar, Sindarov fills in a blank graphic of the match-up that FIDE had sent over. After writing down his numbers, he also added a selfie on request, to prove that it was really him who had filled it in. FIDE captioned the post: 'Sindarov expects a tough fight against Gukesh!'
Presence of mind by Sindarov
What I loved about the video was how Sindarov conducted himself in this tough situation. He did not want to come across looking overconfident. At the same time he wanted to show that he believed in himself. 50.1% is the perfect way to express this! :) And he makes it look so easy - always smiling and laughing!
The match opens on 22nd of November at the Fondation Martin Bodmer in Cologny, Geneva, with the first of 14 classical games on 24 November. Both players are 20, making it the youngest World Championship match in history. Sindarov earned his shot by winning the FIDE Candidates Tournament earlier this year, and the Clutch Chess Champions Showdown is his last event before the match.
The Uzbek's numbers differ slightly from Garry Kasparov's recent assessment. The 13th World Champion, speaking in Antwerp last week, gave Gukesh "slightly more chances" because of his experience, though he added that "if Sindarov takes the lead, he might be able to beat him".
