The ascent of D. Gukesh to the World Chess Championship title in late 2024 was a moment of technical brilliance and historical significance. At an age where most prodigies are merely securing their Grandmaster status, Gukesh claimed the highest crown in the sport. However, the subsequent year, 2025, proved that maintaining altitude is often more challenging than achieving it. His recent early exit from the World Cup signaled a critical juncture, prompting observers to question the resilience and competitive longevity of the young champion.
For the chess world, accustomed to the near-flawless dominance exhibited by past champions like Kasparov and Carlsen, Gukesh’s inconsistent oscillation has been difficult to reconcile. Yet, according to his coach, Grzegorz Gajewski, the current turbulence is a predictable byproduct of elite, teenage success, rather than an existential crisis of skill.
The Motivational Reset: The True Cost of Early Success
Gajewski, in comments regarding Gukesh’s challenging year, pointed to a profound yet often overlooked psychological hurdle: the sudden fulfillment of a lifelong ambition. “When you work all your life for something, and then you get it, you have to find new motivations,” Gajewski noted. This `motivational reset` is particularly taxing for an athlete so young. The drive shifts from a singular focus on achieving the title to the infinitely complex task of defending a legacy that is barely a year old.
While Gukesh demonstrated flashes of his undeniable potential—including near-misses for titles like the Tata Steel Masters and victories over Magnus Carlsen in faster time controls—the major classical tournaments told a sterner story. Poor showings at the FIDE Grand Swiss (41st place) and the FIDE World Cup cannot be dismissed merely as youthful slips. They represent a momentary decline in competitive endurance necessary for major championship cycles.
Addressing the Noise: The Standards of the Throne
The role of World Champion carries an implicit, often unfair, expectation of perfection. When Gukesh’s performance waivered, the criticism arrived promptly. Figures like Garry Kasparov publicly expressed skepticism, suggesting the current crown did not carry the same gravitas it did during his era or that of Carlsen and Kramnik. This kind of commentary places an immense, psychological burden on a player who is still, technically, in his formative years.
Gajewski is appropriately perplexed by these doubts.
“Does he deserve the world championship? Of course he does, because he won it.”
The legitimacy of the crown is derived from the result of the match, not the subsequent form. Nevertheless, the reality of elite chess is unforgiving: merit is constantly re-evaluated. If Gukesh is not yet operating in the rarefied atmosphere of a Kasparov or a peak Carlsen—a fact his team readily concedes—he must address the technical and scheduling deficiencies that allow such criticism to gain traction.
The Strategic Calibration: Quality Over Quantity in 2026
The primary revelation stemming from the 2025 analysis is a necessary change in competitive strategy. Gukesh’s year was defined by a high-volume, diverse tournament schedule, including participation across the Freestyle Chess Tour, Grand Chess Tour, and various high-profile classical events. This exhaustive itinerary, while initially intended to further his chess education and provide opportunities, appears to have resulted in competitive fatigue and a diffusion of focus.
For the critical 2026 season, which culminates in his title defense, the approach is pivoting toward deliberate selectivity. The goal is to optimize peak performance in classical chess, which remains the cornerstone of the championship cycle.
The dilemma for Gajewski’s team is balancing exposure with rest. For instance, skipping major events that feature the world`s top talent (like Carlsen, Nakamura, and Caruana) might limit essential learning. However, consistent travel and rapid format switches erode the deep focus required for classical chess mastery.
The new strategy involves a calculated reduction in competitive exposure, ensuring that the champion’s technical bandwidth is reserved for the most critical classical battles. This is less about fear of competition and more about the technical necessity of preserving physical and mental capital for the defense preparation.
Looking Forward: The 2026 Defense
Gukesh himself stated upon winning the title that he was not yet the best player in the world, only the World Champion. The task for 2026 is to close that gap. The year 2025 served as a crucial, expensive, and public crucible, forcing a tactical reassessment. The defense of the crown next year is not just a standard match; it is Gukesh’s opportunity to silence the increasingly vocal critics by establishing competitive consistency.
Logically, the most effective rebuttal to questions regarding the legitimacy of a world champion is to become a back-to-back world champion. Grzegorz Gajewski and Gukesh Dommaraju are now committed to the arduous process of technical recalibration, focused entirely on ensuring that the memory of the triumphant 2024 victory is secured by an even stronger showing in 2026.
