No Qualification Needed, D Gukesh Takes Up Swiss Challenge To 'Prove Himself'

Last Updated:September 03, 2025, 23:52 IST

D Gukesh arrives in Samarkand for the FIDE Grand Swiss Chess tournament, aiming to test himself despite already being World Champion.

D Gukesh (Picture credit: X @GrandChessTour)

D Gukesh has landed in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, to play in the FIDE Grand Swiss Chess tournament. Technically, it’s a redundant tournament for him because, although there are two Candidates spots on the line, he doesn’t need to qualify for it as he’s the reigning World Champion. However, the young Indian grandmaster wants to use the opportunity to test and ‘prove’ himself in a different format against hungry opponents.

The Candidates consist of eight contestants. One player qualified on their performance in the FIDE circuit in two years (2024 and 2025), two players from the Grand Swiss, three from the World Cup (hosted by Goa in October-November this year), and two based on six months of the highest rating average. The winner of the Candidates will then play Gukesh in the World Chess Championship 2026.

“I’m happy to be back here in Samarkand. I was here in 2023 for the World Rapid and Blitz. It’s nice to be back here. Although there’s no need for me to qualify (for the Candidates), I think this is still a great tournament," Gukesh said at a press conference on Wednesday, as quoted by PTI.

“There are not many super strong open Swiss tournaments. It’s an opportunity for me to play in a different format and prove myself," he added. “In Swiss tournaments you need to win more games and take a bit more chances. I’m glad there will be a lot of hungry players and exciting games. Even though I’ve been playing a lot of closed tournaments, I’ll try to adjust my preparation for the open event here," he said.

Asked about favourites, Gukesh was diplomatic: “This tournament is so strong that pretty much anybody on a great day can win. I don’t really believe in favourites." However, he did praise Uzbekistan’s top player Nodirbek Abdusattorov as a great competitor.

Fabiano Caruana of the US has already made it to the Candidates, thanks to his brilliant run in 2024. Praggnanandhaa is enjoying a quite insurmountable lead in points this year and is likely to qualify, too.

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First Published:

September 03, 2025, 23:52 IST

News sports No Qualification Needed, D Gukesh Takes Up Swiss Challenge To 'Prove Himself'

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