American: American GM Fabiano Caruana feels that De Guesche’s declining form is a matter of concern. The 19-year-old player has been in poor form since becoming world champion in December 2024. The Indian GM is yet to win a single game after six games in Prague, losing three and drawing the remaining three. Some of his defeats have been uncharacteristic of him, as evidenced by big mistakes late on.
Speaking to Maurice Ashley during the American Cup 2026, Caruana said, “Especially for Gukesh, Praggnanand and Arjun, I think they will be top players for many years or decades to come, so I don’t think too much about it. For Gukesh, it is of course a matter of concern because he has a very important event (World Chess Championship) at the end of the year. He is the only player in the world right now who is guaranteed to play in that event. Is.”
“It doesn’t feel good to play poorly, but I still consider him (Gukesh) a very top player despite a few bad months. Last year may not have been very good for him, but I don’t doubt his quality.” Gukesh is not the only one in bad form. His countrymen, R Praggnanandhaa and Arjun Erigaysi are also struggling.
Caruana added, “It’s a bit of a small sample size. It’s a short period of time and they’re all very young. I think everyone is thinking about Gukesh, Praggnanandhaa and Arjun Erigaisi, who had really good years. For example, Praggnanandhaa won a lot of tournaments in 2025. Arjun and Gukesh, in particular, were playing very well in 2024, and Gukesh was the best player in the world that year.”
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