Gukesh has been going through tough times.
| Photo Credit: B. Velankanni Raj
Becoming the World champion is probably easier than being one. This might be running through the mind of D. Gukesh, who is set to defend his title in a few months’ time.
The 20-year-old Grandmaster has been going through a prolonged lean spell as the championship clash against Uzbek Javokhir Sindarov looms.
Gukesh hasn’t won a tournament since his stunning triumph in Singapore, and the performances have been below-par to say the least. At the just-concluded Chennai Grand Masters here, he lost three games and couldn’t buy a win while finishing last in a field of eight. He now has only the Olympiad in September to regain form and be ready to face Sindarov.
Five-time World champion Viswanathan Anand said Gukesh still had time to get out of the rut, adding: “He must be disappointed with the results, but he will anyway play some more games. He’s had a bad streak for a while, but he can snap out of it.”
N. Srinath, the captain of the Open team in the upcoming Olympiad, isn’t concerned about the form of Gukesh, who was on the top board during the victorious campaign in Budapest two years ago. In this regard, he pointed out that R. Vaishali had a similarly difficult time in the Chennai Grand Masters’ Challengers event last year.
“Vaishali won the Grand Swiss title a few months later and then the Candidates. Slumps in form can happen, but class is permanent. It takes only one game, one critical moment to regain confidence,” Srinath said, batting for Gukesh.
Published – July 23, 2026 09:58 pm IST
