Gukesh not satisfied with wins against Sindarov, Caruana at GCT Poland: 'I was playing well but...'

Reigning world champion D Gukesh finished the Super Rapid and Blitz Poland Tournament strongly with wins against Javokhir Sindarov and Fabiano Caruana but the 20-year-old was not properly satisfied with his performance in the first tournament of this year's Global Chess Tour.

Day after his victory over Fide Candidates winner Sindarov, Gukesh earned another solid victory over a strong opponent in Caruana to suggest a return to form after a below-average 2025. However, despite the wins, Gukesh finished joint-fourth with a four-point gap between him and the winner Hans Niemann.

Gukesh believes 'tournament could have been better'

Gukesh finished with a score of 9/9 in the tournament and was joint fourth. While the overall result was underwhelming, the world champion registered some crucial wins. His win over Sindarov was highly significant as the Uzbek Grandmaster will challenge him later this year for his world title.

Despite some big victories, Gukesh believes his tournament could have been better than it ultimately turned out to be.

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“My rapid event was inconsistent. Overall, I was playing well, but I missed a few chances. There were also games where I was in trouble and managed to save it. The tournament could have been better," Gukesh told Saint Louis Chess Club.

Talking about the rapid time control, Gukesh noted that it is all about rhythm in this format. “Rapid and blitz are about rhythm! If you find it, you can crush opponents," he said.

On his strategy for the blitz part of the tournament, Gukesh added: “In blitz, all you have to do is play fast and pray. That’s going to be my strategy."

The blitz part of the tournament will take place on May 8 and 9 with all the players scheduled to play a total of 18 rounds. The final winner of the Super Rapid & Blitz Poland 2026 will only be decided after the blitz games conclude.