It’s tough to stay at the top: What the chess world makes of Gukesh’s reign

Not often a man of theatrics, D Gukesh pumped his fist glancing towards the crowd inside the Royal Opera House.

- Rutvick Mehta

He had beaten world No.3 Fabiano Caruana for his first win in the Global Chess League (GCL), and his face lit up with a smile.The 19-year-old hasn't had a lot of such days on the board through a quiet year after becoming the classical world champion and the toast of India in December 2024. He's been hopping across tournaments, juggling different formats, and, along the way, learning to deal with the heightened spotlight that comes with the crown.

As Gukesh wades through the challenges of rise in expectations and chatter around him after a dip in form, HT spoke to some of his current rivals and former prodigies, during the ongoing GCL, to get their perspective on him.

Fabiano Caruana, WR 3

The American GM felt one probably “can't say that he (Gukesh) is the pure No. 1 in the world now, but that’s normal”. What the title brings with it, however, is that people “look at you as the guy to beat”.

“It can also put pressure on you. I'm sure he's felt some pressure. Only he can speak to how much he's felt that,” said Caruana. “But certainly, you feel like you have more to prove. For the outside public, it’s significant. They see the world champion as kind of the guy to beat, right?”