Magnus Carlsen picks Sindarov as favourite to beat Gukesh in World Championship

World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen considers challenger Javokhir Sindarov the favourite to win the World Championship but said that D Gukesh should not approach his upcoming title defence as a burden, insisting the reigning champion has "everything to gain".

Gukesh will take on challenger Sindarov of Uzbekistan in the upcoming World Chess Championship which will take place in Geneva, Switzerland, from November 24 to December 12.

"I think the word defend is really not a good place to begin, because in terms of how Gukesh has played for the last couple of years, he should not be in a position where he has to defend anything. He should be in a position where he has everything to gain," Carlsen said on the sidelines of the ongoing Global Chess League here.