Out-of-form Gukesh to play limited events in Grand Chess Tour
Indian Grandmaster and World champion D. Gukesh on Tuesday said that he will participate only in rapid and blitz events during the Grand Chess Tour this year as he continues to fight a slump in form.
“My performance in the last few events has been quite disappointing. In order to find my best form, my team and I have decided that I should compete with slightly less intensity over the next few months. Consequently, we feel it is in my best interest to skip long events away from home to allow for more dedicated training time,” Gukesh said on social media.
The 19-year-old added that he approached the organisers of the Grand Chess Tour and agreed to participate only in the rapid and blitz tournaments in Warsaw and Zagreb.
The time away from competition will allow Gukesh to prepare for his defence of the World Chess Championship, the date and venue of which are yet to be announced by FIDE.
Gukesh has seen a sharp downturn in results since winning the World title in 2024. He could not win a single tournament in 2025, which included a third-round exit from the FIDE Chess World Cup. The poor run has continued in 2026 with Gukesh ending 10th at Tata Chess Open before enduring a last-place finish at the Prague Masters.
Published on Mar 31, 2026