Disappointed with his performance this year, Gukesh to play fewer events

Reigning world champion D Gukesh on Tuesday decided to scale back his tournament schedule following a disappointing performance this season opting to play only two Grand Chess Tour events in 2026 to prioritise training and preparation for his title defenceGukeshs inconsistent run has seen him endure an early exit as top seed at the Chess World Cup in November 2025 at home It was followed by lowly finishes at the World Rapid and Blitz Championships in December a 10thplace result after tiebreaks at the Tata Steel Chess Tournament and a ninthplace result at the recently concluded Prague Chess FestivalMy performance in the last few events has been quite disappointing not just for me but for all of you who support me wrote Gukesh on X something he does not do very oftenMy performance in the last few events has been quite disappointing not just for me but for all of you who support meIn 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 ithellip pictwittercomEmtAE3hn6cmdash Gukesh D DGukesh March 31 2026In 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 he added indicating his priority from now on would be preparing to defend the world title he won by beating Ding Liren of China in Singapore in 2024The decision could prove to be a strategic pause to reset after a string of early exits though it is certain to draw close attention from the chess fraternityGukeshs opponent for the FIDE World Chess Championship later this year is currently being decided at the FIDE Candidates Tournament in Cyprus where eight competitors are battling it out with the winner earning the right to challenge him for the titleGukesh added that he had requested the organisers of the Grand Chess Tour to allow him to play only two events this season a request they supportedWith this in mind I approached the Grand Chess Tour organisers and asked to play only two European Rapid amp Blitz events They were very supportive and understanding and we agreed that I would participate in the Rapid amp Blitz tournaments in Warsaw and Zagreb this yearIm very grateful for their support Respectfully I am not planning to play any other events during the Grand Chess Tour schedule and will certainly be back for the full Grand Chess Tour in the future he addedWith Gukesh opting not to play the full Grand Chess Tour the organisers have brought in reigning World Cup champion Javokhir Sindarov as his replacementReigning World Cup champion Javokhir Sindarov will join the 2026 Grand Chess Tour as a full tour participant replacing Gukesh Dommaraju who has withdrawn from the full tour to focus on training but will still compete in select Grand Chess Tour events in Warsaw and ZagrebSindarov will compete in Warsaw Bucharest and both Saint Louis events bringing his dynamic play and recent World Cupwinning form to the Tour wrote Grand Chess Tour on XReigning World Cup champion Javokhir Sindarov will join the 2026 Grand Chess Tour as a full tour participant replacing Gukesh Dommaraju who has withdrawn from the full tour to focus on training but will still compete in select Grand Chess Tour events in Warsaw and Zagrebhellip pictwittercomZGy7Q6fSPVmdash Grand Chess Tour GrandChessTour March 31 2026Gukesh will next play in the Euro 26000 Masters Chess Menorca in Spain from April 712This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever