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D Gukesh's coach sums up world champion's inconsistent performances in 2025: ‘It’s kind of a transitional period'
D Gukesh's World Cup ouster once again increases the pressure, and he needs to get back to his mojo before defending his world championship title next year.
Reigning world champion D Gukesh made a shocking exit from the ongoing Chess World Cup 2025, losing his third-round match to German GM Frederik Svane. It has been a topsy-turvy year for Gukesh since he became world champion in December last year. The spotlight on him has become huge, which has put him under tremendous pressure.
Recently, he showed some good form at the European Club Cup, where he represented the Romanian club SuperChess, winning an individual gold for Board 1 and helping the team secure the title.
Also Read: World champion D Gukesh makes shocking exit from FIDE World Cup 2025 after losing to Germany's Frederik Svane
D Gukesh's coach sums up 2025
But then his World Cup ouster once again increases the pressure, and he needs to get back to his mojo before defending his world champion title next year. A day before he was eliminated from the World Cup, his coach Grzegorz Gajewski summed up his performance in 2025.
Speaking to The Indian Express, he weighed in on the constant focus on Gukesh since his victory against Ding Liren last year. "It’s very typical for anyone who has been working their whole life to achieve something and then they finally achieve it. It puts you in a difficult situation because you have to come up with new objectives, new ways to motivate yourself. It’s kind of a transitional period for Gukesh."
"We should not forget he’s very young and the competition is very strong. It’s not like by winning the title, he got the monopoly on winning all the games he plays. It’s a very competitive sport and all the others are working very hard to beat him. There were some ups, there were some downs. Mentally and physically and just sports-wise, I think we’re kind of getting back on the track. And hopefully the ECC was the first sign of Gukesh coming back to his best form," he added.
The closest he came to clinching an individual title this year was at Wijk aan Zee, but he finished as runner-up, losing the decider tie-breaker round to R Praggnanandhaa.
