D Gukesh's coach sheds light on managing Indian star's ambitions, keeping him grounded: 'Many forget that he's only 19'

After an incredible run in 2024, reigning Classical world champion Gukesh Dommaraju has been experiencing mixed fortunes this year. While the 19-year-old Indian Grandmaster finished runner-up at Tata Steel Chess in February and third at Norway Chess, where he defeated Magnus Carlsen for the first time in his career, he has had an underwhelming run in the first two legs of the Freesstyle Chess Grand Slam Tour.

His mixed run in 2025 can be perfectly summarised by his performance at the SuperUnited Rapid & Blitz Croatia, the third event of the 2025 Grand Chess Tour where he finished top of the standings at the end of the Rapid leg but eventually finished third on the overall standings after poor run in the Blitz games.

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Gajewski sheds light on managing Gukesh's ambitions

Gukesh's coach Grzegorz Gajewski recently opened up on managing the young superstar's ambitions, revealing that he has to remind the player himself that he's just 19.

"Chess wise, it's a tricky period because as world champion, the expectation is that much higher. In the process, many people forget that he's only 19. Sometimes, he even forgets that he's only 19," the Polish GM told The New Indian Express.

"It's about managing his own ambitions. He's of course very hungry and just wanting to crush everybody on the board. But the reality is that the competition is very strong and many of his opponents are older, even the very young guys are older than him," added Gajewski, who has been coaching Gukesh full-time since 2023 and has been working on sharpening his skills in faster time controls of late.

Gukesh will be taking a break after the event in Zagreb, having opted against participating in the American leg of the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour in Las Vegas that gets underway later this month and features compatriots Arjun Erigaisi, Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa and Vidit Gujrathi.