Many people forget that he's only 19. He even forgets he's 19, says D Gukesh's coach Grzegorz Gajewski

Time of India

a day ago

D Gukesh during the Grand Chess Tour competition in Zagreb, Croatia. (Image: X)
Indian chess prodigy D Gukesh secured third place at the SuperUnited Rapid and Blitz competition in Croatia, surprising many as he had only a 0.3 percent chance of winning according to pre-tournament simulations.
The 19-year-old world champion showed significant improvement in faster time controls, winning the Rapid section before struggling in Blitz, ultimately finishing behind
Magnus Carlsen
and Wesley So.
Despite being a powerhouse in Classical chess with a rating of 2776, Gukesh's performance in faster formats has been notably lower, with Rapid (2686.8) and Blitz (2612.6) ratings below the elite 2700 mark. His coach, Grzegorz Gajewski, sees this third-place finish as a sign of major progress.
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"We are doing some exercises strictly devoted to the faster time controls," Gajewski told New Indian Express, explaining their focused training approach. These special exercises and practice games aim to boost Gukesh's skills in shorter time formats.
Gajewski faces an interesting challenge managing his young protégé. "Chess wise, it's a tricky period because as world champion, the expectation is that much higher," he notes.
The coach often needs to remind Gukesh of his youth, as the teenager's ambition sometimes makes him forget he's competing against more experienced players.
"Chess wise, it's a tricky period because as world champion, the expectation is that much higher," he says. "In the process, many people forget that he's only 19. Sometimes, he even forgets that he's only 19. It's about managing his own ambitions, he's of course very hungry and just wanting to crush everybody on the board.
But the reality is that the competition is very strong and many of his opponents are older, even the very young guys are older than him.
"
The coach emphasised on the overall development rather than format-specific improvements. "For me, the most important thing is for Gukesh to develop as a player not in terms of Classical or Rapid or Blitz... there are many areas to improve and once he improves in those areas he will become stronger in all formats," Gajewski explains.
Since becoming world champion in Singapore last year, Gukesh has shown mixed results but achieved notable victories, including two wins against Magnus Carlsen in different formats. His recent Croatian performance adds to these achievements, marking steady progress in his developing career.
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