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Anand Says Gukesh Faces Tougher World Title Defence
D Gukesh is going to try to keep his world chess title.
His next opponent will be Javokhir Sindarov from Uzbekistan.
This may be harder because Sindarov has been playing better, while Gukesh has not won a tournament since becoming champion.
Chess legend Viswanathan Anand says this kind of difficult period happens to many strong players.
Anand says Gukesh’s ability has not disappeared.
The harder problem may be how Gukesh is feeling and thinking.
Gukesh will first play for India in an Olympiad title defence in Samarkand.
Anand believes one good game or surprise success could help Gukesh feel confident again.
D Gukesh will defend his world chess title against Uzbek challenger Javokhir Sindarov in Geneva in less than three months.
Viswanathan Anand says Gukesh is experiencing the difficulty of a prolonged slump for the first time.
Anand believes Gukesh’s chess strength remains, but his current state of mind is harder to address.
Gukesh will lead India’s Olympiad title defence in Samarkand before the world championship match.
Anand says even one happy game or unexpected success could improve Gukesh’s confidence.
- Who
- World champion D Gukesh, challenger Javokhir Sindarov, and former world champion Viswanathan Anand.
- What
- Gukesh is preparing to defend his world chess title, while Anand discusses the mental challenge of his recent struggles.
- Where
- The world championship match will be held in Geneva, and India’s Olympiad title defence will take place in Samarkand.
- When
- The title defence is scheduled in less than three months; Anand spoke ahead of the 2026 Global Chess League.
- Why
- Gukesh must retain his title against Sindarov, who has been improving, while rebuilding confidence after a difficult run of results.
Anand’s Encouraging View
The Competitive Challenge
Gukesh’s current ability
Anand’s Encouraging View
Anand says Gukesh’s strength is still present and could not simply have disappeared.
The Competitive Challenge
Gukesh is facing a tougher defence because he has not won a tournament since claiming the title and Sindarov appears to be improving.
What could change his form
Anand’s Encouraging View
Anand believes one unexpected success or satisfying game could lift Gukesh’s mood and confidence.
The Competitive Challenge
There is no guaranteed formula for resolving the problem, particularly because Anand says motivation and state of mind are difficult to explain or fix.
Key facts
- World champion
- D Gukesh
- Challenger
- Javokhir Sindarov of Uzbekistan
- Match location
- Geneva
- Upcoming team event
- India’s Olympiad title defence in Samarkand
- Gukesh’s recent record
- He has not won a tournament since becoming world champion.
- Olympiad performance
- Gukesh scored 18 points from 21 matches across the last two editions, including a 9.0/10 score in Budapest.
- Anand’s advice
- Accept difficult results and seek confidence from smaller successes, even a single good game.
Quotes
Viswanathan Anand
Five-time world chess champion discussing Gukesh’s current difficulties.
“What Gukesh is experiencing, I’ve experienced a couple of times. But he’s experiencing it for the first time. You have no idea why the world refuses to work like it used to. You’re working as hard as you think. You want it as hard as you think. But the world is just not bending like it used to”
indianexpress.com
“The only thing I could tell him is that it happens to everybody. For him, I think it will just be the challenge of dealing with this rather than it being his first time”
indianexpress.com
Sources
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