D Gukesh To Scale Back Playing Schedule Before World Championship Clash: 'We Are Planning To...'

World chess champion D Gukesh’s coach, Grzegorz Gajewski, has said that the youngster would not be playing too many events this year, as he would look to manage his workload ahead of defending his world title later in the year.

Gukesh started 2025 on a strong note, finishing second at the Tata Masters in Wijk aan Zee. He was close to claiming the title before a late dip in form saw him tied at the top with R

Praggnanandhaa, losing to his compatriot in the tie-break decider.

Since then, Gukesh’s form has dipped, with momentum proving hard to sustain. While his two victories over Magnus Carlsen offered brief highs, the pressure around him has continued to build.

Last year, Gukesh competed in rapid and blitz tournaments as well as exhibition events.

This year, however, he is expected to scale back his schedule to focus on preparations for the World Championship, where he will defend his title against the winner of the 2026 Candidates.

“For sure, we would not be playing too many events. We will play in the most important ones, because he is very young and playing is kind of the best thing for him to grow,” Gajewski said while speaking to The Indian Express.

“I actually don’t know what he has confirmed officially, so I don’t know what I can reveal, but we are planning to stay active. We will have to scale back for sure. Some of the exhibition matches and online events, we will have to skip, that is certain,” Gajewski added. 

Defending his title will be Gukesh’s primary focus this year. As the youngest undisputed world champion, he now carries the added burden of being every opponent’s biggest target, with his status only heightening the pressure in each encounter.

Meanwhile, FIDE vice-president and Indian chess great Viswanathan Anand believes this year’s World Championship could be held in Chennai if R Praggnanandhaa wins the Candidates Tournament to challenge Gukesh, setting the stage for what he described as an ’emotionally charged’ showdown.