Prague Chess Festival 2026: World Champion D Gukesh Eyes First Title of The Year

World Champion, D Gukesh, has not had the best of starts to 2026. The 19-year-old chess sensation was pretty underwhelming and suffered an early exit from the World Cup. At the TATA Steel Masters, too, had a disappointing performance. 

The Chennai-born would be spearheading the Indian team at the Prague International Chess Festival starting on the 25th of February. He has been seeded second in the event and will be facing top players like Vincent Keymer and Nodirbek Abdusattorov. 

Tough challenge for Gukesh at Prague Chess Festival

When looking at the live rankings, both Germany’s Keymer and Uzbekistan’s Abdusattorov are placed higher than Gukesh. The 19-year-old is ranked 10th and is the highest-ranked Indian, while Keymer and Abdusattorov are fourth and fifth, respectively. The recent dip in performances from Arjun Erigasi and R Praggnanandhaa has meant that Gukesh is the only Indian among the top 10-ranked players. 

Top Players at Prague Chess Festival

Hans Niemann from the USA and Dutch Grandmaster Jorden van Foreest would be among the favourites to perform well at the tournament. Defending champion, Aravindh Chithambaram, is another Chennai-born who could give some company to Gukesh. He has entered the tournament as the seventh seed despite a poor performance at the TATA Steel. It will be an uphill task for the 26-year-old as he gears up to defend his title. 

Disappointing returns for Gukesh in recent tournaments

After an impressive late 2024 and early 2025, Gukesh could not end the year on a high note. The Indian prodigy had disappointing returns in recent events to end 2025. In the Chess World Cup in 2025, he was eliminated after suffering a loss to German Grandmaster Frederik Svane in the third round. In the TATA Steel Masters, Gukesh finished joint eighth in the event. He started the tournament with four draws before registering his first win. He defeated Vladimir Fedoseev in the same tournament, ending with 6.5 points.