World Chess Championship 2026: Gukesh vs. Sindarov Schedule and Game Times in ET

The International Chess Federation (FIDE) schedules Game 1 of the 2026 World Chess Championship between Gukesh D and Javokhir Sindarov for Tue., Nov. 24 in Geneva, at 3:00 pm local time, which is 9 a.m. Eastern Time (ET), according to FIDE’s match regulations. The 14 classical games run through Fri., Dec. 11, with a tie-break, if needed, set for Sat., Dec. 12. FIDE’s regulations print no time zone; Khel Now and 365chess both say it is Central European Time (CET). Broadcast details have not yet been announced.

World Chess Championship 2026 dates in Geneva

FIDE’s regulations say the match is “organised from 22 November to 13 December 2026 in Geneva.” The schedule starts with arrivals on Fri., Nov. 20; the opening ceremony is on Sun., Nov. 22, with a media day, and a technical meeting follows on Mon., Nov. 23. The ceremony time and the exact venue in Geneva are not yet announced.

FIDE’s July 28, 2026 announcement had said the match would run “from November 25 to December 15.” The later regulations moved it, so older pages may show different dates. Mark the days on our November 2026 printable calendar and December 2026 printable calendar.

FIDE’s announcement names “reigning World Champion Gukesh D and Challenger Javokhir Sindarov.” Gukesh will “defend the crown he won in Singapore in December 2024.” FIDE says Sindarov earned the challenge “by winning the FIDE Candidates Tournament 2026 in Cyprus,” after his victory at the 2025 FIDE World Cup.

Game-by-game schedule and start times

Article 4.6.1 of the regulations puts every game at “3:00 pm.” Geneva stays on CET (Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) plus 1 hour) for the whole match, and U.S. clocks went back on Nov. 1, so ET is UTC minus 5 hours. That makes each game a morning start in the United States. Article 4.6.2 says “No postponement of any game is allowed.”

Game 3 falls on Thu., Nov. 26, which is Thanksgiving in the United States.

Day	Date	ET	PT	UK (GMT)	India (IST)
Game 1	Tue., Nov. 24	9 a.m.	6 a.m.	2 p.m.	7:30 p.m.
Game 2	Wed., Nov. 25	9 a.m.	6 a.m.	2 p.m.	7:30 p.m.
Game 3	Thu., Nov. 26	9 a.m.	6 a.m.	2 p.m.	7:30 p.m.
Free day	Fri., Nov. 27	Rest	Rest	Rest	Rest
Game 4	Sat., Nov. 28	9 a.m.	6 a.m.	2 p.m.	7:30 p.m.
Game 5	Sun., Nov. 29	9 a.m.	6 a.m.	2 p.m.	7:30 p.m.
Game 6	Mon., Nov. 30	9 a.m.	6 a.m.	2 p.m.	7:30 p.m.
Free day	Tue., Dec. 1	Rest	Rest	Rest	Rest
Game 7	Wed., Dec. 2	9 a.m.	6 a.m.	2 p.m.	7:30 p.m.
Game 8	Thu., Dec. 3	9 a.m.	6 a.m.	2 p.m.	7:30 p.m.
Game 9	Fri., Dec. 4	9 a.m.	6 a.m.	2 p.m.	7:30 p.m.
Free day	Sat., Dec. 5	Rest	Rest	Rest	Rest
Game 10	Sun., Dec. 6	9 a.m.	6 a.m.	2 p.m.	7:30 p.m.
Game 11	Mon., Dec. 7	9 a.m.	6 a.m.	2 p.m.	7:30 p.m.
Game 12	Tue., Dec. 8	9 a.m.	6 a.m.	2 p.m.	7:30 p.m.
Free day	Wed., Dec. 9	Rest	Rest	Rest	Rest
Game 13	Thu., Dec. 10	9 a.m.	6 a.m.	2 p.m.	7:30 p.m.
Game 14	Fri., Dec. 11	9 a.m.	6 a.m.	2 p.m.	7:30 p.m.
Tie-break (if needed) and closing ceremony	Sat., Dec. 12	Not yet announced	Not yet announced	Not yet announced	Not yet announced

The start times are the same every day, so only the date changes. Sun., Dec. 13 is departures in the schedule.

What time is a Gukesh vs. Sindarov game in your time zone?

Starting from 3 p.m. CET (14:00 UTC), as Khel Now and 365chess state it, the conversions are below. Khel Now gives 7:30 p.m. India Standard Time (IST); 365chess gives “15:00 CET (14:00 UTC)”.

Time zone	Game start
Geneva (CET)	3 p.m.
United Kingdom (Greenwich Mean Time (GMT))	2 p.m.
Eastern Time (ET)	9 a.m.
Central Time (CT)	8 a.m.
Mountain Time (MT)	7 a.m.
Pacific Time (PT)	6 a.m.
Hawaii (HST)	4 a.m.
India (IST)	7:30 p.m.

How is the World Chess Championship 2026 decided?

Article 4.1 sets 14 classical games, and article 4.4.1 says 7.5 points wins. Article 4.2.2 gives the time control: “120 minutes for the first 40 moves, followed by 30 minutes for the rest of the game with an increment of 30 seconds per move starting from move 41.” Article 4.3 bars a draw by agreement before Black’s 40th move.

If the match is level, article 4.4.2 sets the tie-break:

1. Four games at 15 minutes plus a 10-second increment.
2. Then two games at 10 minutes plus 5 seconds.
3. Then two games at 3 minutes plus 2 seconds.
4. Then single 3+2 games until the match is decided.

There is a 10-minute pause between tie-break games. The tie-break time on Sat., Dec. 12 is not yet announced.

How much is the prize fund?

Article 4.5.1 sets the prize fund in US dollars (USD) at “2,500,000 USD net of any applicable local taxes”. Article 4.5.2(a) pays 200,000 USD for each game won.

Where to watch the World Chess Championship 2026

Not yet announced. World Chess said on Nov. 5, 2026: “Broadcast details … have not yet been announced.” Ticket details are not yet announced either.

Free World Chess Championship 2026 game tracker

The printable lists all 14 games with the date and the start time in Eastern, Central, Mountain and Pacific Time, plus a result box for each. It uses the schedule in FIDE’s regulations and the same source note as this story. For another European event with U.S. start times, see our Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) Finals 2026 schedule and time zones and the Davis Cup Finals 2026 schedule in Bologna.