India's Gukesh D, the 19-year-old World Chess Champion since 2024, continues to grapple with inconsistent results, culminating in a last-place finish at the Prague Masters. Meanwhile, rival Nodirbek Abdusattorov of Uzbekistan dominates recent events but will miss the FIDE Candidates Tournament. Argentine GM Pablo Ricardi calls this a stark paradox in the championship cycle.
Since claiming the World Chess Championship title in 2024 as the youngest ever, Gukesh D has struggled to maintain momentum. In 2025 and into 2026, he has failed to win any tournaments, with only three victories across three major events this year—including a blunder loss to Nodirbek Abdusattorov at the Tata Steel Chess Masters and back-to-back defeats there. His form hit a low at last week's Prague Masters invitational, where he tied for last in the 10-player field, causing him to drop from the world's top 20. Social media buzzed with concern, one fan noting: "The World Champion didn't just lose. Gukesh was completely and thoroughly outplayed by Bluebaum. I can't imagine Magnus losing like this."
This slump stands in sharp relief to Abdusattorov's hot streak. The Uzbek Gen-Z star captured the London Chess Classic late last year, triumphed at Tata Steel Chess in Wijk aan Zee, and took clear first at the Prague Chess Festival. These results have him atop the FIDE Circuit 2026-2027 with 23.14 points from Prague, marking him as arguably the form player of the moment.
Yet Abdusattorov will sit out the FIDE Candidates Tournament (March 28 to April 16 in Cyprus), which will name Gukesh's next challenger. He did not qualify last year.
Argentine Grandmaster Pablo Ricardi, in a La Nacion column, labeled Gukesh's Prague showing "rock bottom" and "unworthy of a world champion," urging him to regroup ahead of his title defense. Ricardi spotlighted the irony: Gukesh faltering while Abdusattorov—"the best player at the moment, with all due respect to Carlsen"—cannot even vie for challenger status. He advocated reforms like more frequent defenses, echoing Bobby Fischer's unfulfilled call for three annual matches (noting Fischer's March 9 birthday).