 "D Gukesh will be defending his world chess title next year in the Classical format. Image: D Gukesh on X")
Amid the boom of the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour and increased interest in fast formats, chess world champion D Gukesh remains focussed on Classical chess as he aims to play more Classical tournaments in the next part of 2025. The 19-year-old Gukesh from Chennai won the World Chess Championship by beating China’s Ding Liren in the Classical format and would be defending his title in 2026 in the same format.
Hence, it’s understandable that world No.6 Gukesh wants to give special attention to Classical chess when his close friends and other Indian prodigies are showing great inclination towards other formats. Recently, world No.4 R Praggnanandhaa, who also hails from Chennai, defeated world No.1 Magnus Carlsen in the Freestyle Chess Las Vegas Tour. During the tournament, the 19-year-old Praggnanandhaa claimed that he now likes “Freestyle more than Classical.”
Similarly, the third Indian in the world top five ranking, Arjun Erigaisi, who is at the fifth spot, has been doing exceptionally well in the faster formats. He recently reached the semi-finals of the inaugural chess tournament in the Esports World Cup 2025, which was played in Blitz format.
Gukesh’s appearance in Classical tournaments in 2025 has been limited as he has been busy with Freestyle Chess and other competitions. In his first Classical tournament after becoming the world champion, Gukesh finished second at Tata Steel Chess 2025, behind Praggnanandhaa. At Norway Chess 2025, he secured his first-ever Classical win over Carlsen but finished third in the standings .
He has also been doing good in other formats, winning the Rapid section in SuperUnited Rapid & Blitz in Zagreb, Croatia, but still has a long way to go, as he also lost five consecutive Blitz matches at the same tournament.
Speaking to The Hindu, Gukesh said that he is planning to play a lot more Classical matches in the second part of 2025.
“My last Classical tournament was in Norway (May 26 to June 6). It was a decent tournament. [But] I have not played too many Classical events,” said Gukesh. “I played in Tata Steel in January. I finished tied first. It was good. In the next part of the year, I will be playing more Classical. I am looking forward to that.”
Gukesh also reflected on his form in the faster formats. He conceded that he is still not the finished product, but he’s improving.
“My recent performance in Zagreb was good [first] in rapid. I still need to correct some mistakes in Blitz. I think I am improving my performance,” he said.
Gukesh’s next tournament will be the Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz from 11 to 15 August and then the Classical format Sinquefield Cup from 18 to 28 August. Both tournaments will be played in Saint Louis, Missouri, USA.