D Gukesh insists he has nothing left to prove after stellar 2024 run, says he's focusing on ‘improving and going beyond'

D Gukesh has been going through a lean patch in recent months, especially in Freestyle Chess, and faces what arguably is the biggest match of his career at the upcoming Norway Chess event – where he will face world No 1 Magnus Carlsen for the first time since being crowned world champion. read more
D Gukesh will be hoping for a resurgence in form at the Norway Chess after going through a slump in recent months. Image credit: Norway Chess
Reigning world champion Gukesh Dommaraju insists he doesn't have anything left to prove after his stellar run in 2024, and he is only focused on improving his form in the upcoming Norway Chess after going through a struggle in recent months.
Gukesh had an unbelievable run last year, becoming the youngest player to win the Chess World Championship as well as the Candidates Tournament and had also starred in India's historic golden sweep at the Chess Olympiad. He would then begin 2025 with a runner-up finish at the Tata Steel Chess after losing to compatriot R Praggnanandhaa in tie-breaks.
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The 18-year-old Grandmaster's confidence, however, appears to have taken a hit after his poor returns in the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour – in which he failed to win a single game in the opening leg in Weissenhaus before sharing the bottom spot with fellow Indian Vidit Gujrathi in the second event in Paris.
His poor run in the unpredictable Freestyle Chess format appears to have affected his Classical game with Gukesh winning just one game to finish with 4 points out of a possible 10 in the Superbet Classic in Bucharest, Romania earlier this month.
'Last year (2024) in classical chess, I played tournaments where I kind of proved whatever needed to be proved. And right now the focus is not about proving it. The world championship is not where I want to stop, I want to go beyond that. So it's not about proving, but improving myself and going beyond where I am,' Gukesh told Norway Chess in an interview on Saturday.
In yesterday's interview, Gukesh shared that life has definitely changed after becoming World Champion 👑 'In India, especially in Chennai, when I go out I get recognised more than before' he said.
A quiet reminder of how far he's come, and just how much his journey is… pic.twitter.com/soI3uHATtf — Norway Chess (@NorwayChess) May 25, 2025
Gukesh will have no time to think about the past, including his recent struggles, for he faces the biggest match of his career so far – against world No Magnus Carlsen for the first time since being crowned world champion six months ago.
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Gukesh looks forward to 'fun challenge' against Carlsen
Gukesh is yet to defeat Carlsen in the Classical format, in which the latter had reigned as world champion for a decade before voluntarily deciding against defending his title in 2023.
'It will be a very interesting game and a fun challenge. In 2024 we didn't face off in classical at all. For the spectators, it's great to see the world champion face the number one player in the world. It's something that sounds exciting. It's surely something I'm very happy to give myself and to chess fans. I hope it will be a treat,' Gukesh added.
Also Read | Carlsen on whether Gukesh is a worthy world chess champion or not: 'He's done incredibly well…'
Norway Chess takes place in Stavanger from 26 May to 6 June, with a couple of rest days scheduled in between. Besides Gukesh and Carlsen, the tournament will feature other members of the current top five – Hikaru Nakamura (world No 2), Arjun Erigaisi (No 4) and Fabiano Caruana (No 5). Also participating in the event is world No 8 Wei Yi.

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