Javokhir Sindarov enters the 2026 World Chess Championship as the clear favorite in trader consensus, driven by his dominant 10/14 score in the Candidates Tournament and a 72-point rating edge over defending champion Gukesh Dommaraju. The Uzbek grandmaster has built strong momentum through his 2025 World Cup victory, an unbeaten classical streak, individual bronze at the 2026 Olympiad, and a recent Clutch Chess title, while holding world number four status. Gukesh, who won the title in 2024 at age 18, has faced a tougher stretch since, dropping to number 26 with a 2710 rating amid inconsistent results in events like Norway Chess. Their limited classical head-to-head record also leans toward Sindarov ahead of the November start in Geneva.