Unruffled Gukesh speaks about poor chess form, resilience and mystery of missing glasses: ‘Bad tournament, what to say’

It has been a tough tournament for chess world champion D Gukesh in Prague as he is yet to win a single game after seven rounds. He began the tournament with a fighting draw against American Grandmaster Hans Niemann, leading to the belief that Gukesh would soon turn things around, but it has only gone downhill from there.

The 19-year-old Gukesh has suffered three losses in seven games at the Prague Chess Masters 2026. His latest defeat to compatriot Aravindh Chithambaram has seen Gukesh slide to world No 20 in live rating.

Gukesh played out a draw against Iranian Parham Maghsoodloo in Round 7, and he is currently at the bottom of the 10-player standings with just two points.

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The alarming slide in his form has become a major concern since he won the World Chess Championship in 2024. Gukesh failed to win a single major tournament in 2025 and has suffered a disastrous start to 2026. He will be defending his world title later this year.

Gukesh reflects on poor run and ditching the glasses

Nonetheless, Gukesh put up a brave front and gave a nonchalant interview as he reflected on his poor form, spoke about his support system, and other aspects, including why he has stopped wearing the glasses.

In the interview with Keti Tsatsalashvili for the Prague Masters, Gukesh acknowledged that his form in the tournament is nothing to talk about as he has not managed to capitalise on the opportunities that came his way.

"I have been playing badly here," said Gukesh. "The couple of chances I got, I didn't use. What to say! Bad tournament."

Tsatsalashvili then added that his fellow commentator and Croatian chess player Alojzije Jankovic often describes Gukesh as the best defensive player in the sport. Asked to react to this assessment, the Indian Grandmaster from Chennai felt that it was the right way to describe his gameplay.

"One of the best, I would say," Gukesh said while speaking about his defensive skills. "It has always been one of my strengths. Being resilient, fighting in bad positions. It came from my childhood. I wasn't working many openings, so I used to get into these (bad) positions. So basically, I had to defend to survive my whole career. It's one of my strong suits, but here nothing really worked."

While speaking about his support system, Gukesh revealed how he is very close to his second and trainer, Grzegorz Gajewski, the impact of his parents and how conversations with mental conditioning coach Paddy Upton have helped him in big tournaments.

"I have Gaju (Gajewski) who is present in Prague. Other than the preparation and openings, he is someone with whom I can share things. We have been working together for three years. We have a pretty close bond," said Gukesh.

"My parents are my huge support system. Obviously, working with Paddy (former Indian cricket team mental conditioning coach) also helps. He has always been there whenever I need. Especially in tough tournaments, talking with him gives clarity. Having such people who understand what goes on in a sportsperson's head is really quite nice."

On a lighter note, Gukesh was also asked why he had stopped playing in glasses. He was wearing glasses in the first round match against Niemann, but they have been missing lately.

"I recently found out that I have some eyesight issues," a smiling Gukesh revealed. "I am wearing glasses whenever I am in the room. First round, I did wear it for some time. I am not fully adjusted to it. During the games, it just fell. It kind of bothers me. Not a huge issue, but till I get used to it, I'd better not use it."