Chess Legend Raises Doubts Over Gukesh's World Championship Defence
Image Source: Internet
Chees legend Judit Polgar has expressed doubts over D Gukesh's ability to successfully defend his World Championship title this year.
Gukesh has failed to win a title since becoming world champion in December 2024 and has been experiencing a huge dip in form this year.
The winner of the upcoming Candidates 2026 will decide the challenger to face Gukesh later this year, with Polgar predicting that the Candidates winner will defeat Gukesh to become the next world champion.
Polgar praised Gukesh's mental strength, which she believes helped him defeat Ding Liren to become the youngest-ever world champion.
However, she pointed out that Gukesh did not play 'so much better' than Liren, but his 'psychological and mental strength paid off'.
Gukesh's recent performances have been underwhelming, with a single victory at the Prague Masters and a loss to R Praggnanandhaa in the title-deciding tiebreaker round at the Tata Masters in Wijk aan Zee in 2025.
