World No 3 Fabiano Caruana has defended D Gukesh's recent poor performances, calling the Indian grandmaster a top player despite a challenging year. Gukesh, the reigning world champion, has struggled in several tournaments since his historic 2024 title win. Caruana's comments come as Gukesh prepares to defend his title later this year.
D Gukesh, who became the youngest world chess champion in 2024 after winning the Candidates Tournament, has faced a significant dip in form since then. He narrowly missed victory at the Tata Steel Chess tournament in early 2025. However, his performances worsened in the second half of 2025, including a hat-trick of defeats at the FIDE Grand Swiss in Samarkand and underwhelming results at the FIDE World Cup in Goa.
In the ongoing Prague Chess Masters 2026, Gukesh has yet to secure a win after seven rounds, with three losses and four draws. This slump has raised concerns, especially for fellow Indian players R Praggnanandhaa and Arjun Erigaisi, who have also struggled recently.
Fabiano Caruana, speaking to Maurice Ashley on the sidelines of the American Cup, expressed support for Gukesh. "In particular for Gukesh, Praggnanandhaa, and Arjun, I think they’ll be top players for many years or decades to come, so I don’t read too much into it," Caruana said. He acknowledged the pressure ahead: "For Gukesh, it’s, of course, concerning because he does have this really important event at the end of the year (the World Chess Championship). He’s the only person in the world guaranteed to play in that event at the moment."
Caruana added, "It can’t feel nice to be playing poorly, but I still consider him a very top player regardless of a few bad months. Perhaps the last year has definitely not been great for him, but I don’t doubt his quality."
Caruana, an Italian-American grandmaster, will compete in the upcoming Candidates Tournament alongside Praggnanandhaa for a chance to challenge Gukesh for the world title.
