It’s rare to see D Gukesh skip signing autographs, but the world champion is also fighting a battle within himself as his credentials are questioned amid a poor run of results.
World chess champion D Gukesh has apologised to fans for not giving away as many autographs as he could during the ongoing Prague International Chess Festival 2026, with the 19-year-old Indian Grandmaster suffering an alarming dip in form. Gukesh, who won the World Chess Championship in 2024 and will be defending the crown later this year, has been in horrific form, losing three games and drawing five in the ongoing Prague Chess Master 2026.
The run of poor form has directly impacted Gukesh’s enthusiasm as the Chennai chess star, who usually always adheres to all the demands from the fans, skipped a few photographs in the Czech Republic.
Gukesh apologises to fans at Prague Chess 2026
It’s, of course, not very easy for Gukesh, who is mobbed by fans everywhere he goes due to a huge Indian population in those countries. His struggle on the chessboard has only complicated the matter.
🥺❤️🩹 @DGukesh
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Edit: Tushar @chess_holic#chess #chessbaseindia #gukesh pic.twitter.com/oGx8lbEosJ— ChessBase India (@ChessbaseIndia) March 5, 2026
While speaking to Georgian Woman Grandmaster Keti Tsatsalashvili during an interview, Gukesh apologised to the fans for not being able to give photographs and autographs as much as before. He added that he truly appreciates the support of the fans, but his enthusiasm has been stifled due to the poor performance in the tournament.
“I really appreciate all the fans coming here every day. But I want to apologize to them. This tournament has been tough for me and on some days, I just want to be left alone. I generally make sure to give autographs and photographs after the game, but I haven’t been in a great mood here. I apologize for that, but the support really means a lot to me,” Gukesh said.
“I have been playing badly here,” he added. “The couple of chances I got, I didn’t use. What to say! Bad tournament.”
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Gukesh played out a draw against Vincent Keymer in the penultimate round of Prague Chess on Thursday. He faces Spanish GM David Anton in the final round. With 2.5 points from eight rounds, Gukesh has no chance of winning the tournament.
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