‘D Gukesh has not been that good at any Grand Slam’: Freestyle Chess CEO brutally claims Las Vegas absence ‘expected’

‘D Gukesh has not been that good at any Grand Slam’: Freestyle Chess CEO brutally claims Las Vegas absence ‘expected’

D Gukesh will be skipping the upcoming Las Vegas Freestyle Chess Grand Slam, with the official line-up being announced last Tuesday. The reigning world champion put in underwhelming performances at the Paris and Weissenhaus Grand Slams.

Chess grandmaster and World Champion Gukesh Dommaraju competes during of the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour in Paris.(REUTERS)

He was recently in action at Norway Chess 2025, where he finished in third position behind winner Magnus Carlsen and second-placed Fabiano Caruana.

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Speaking to TimesofIndia.com, Freestyle Chess CEO and co-founder Jan Henric Buettner opened up on Gukesh's absence from the Las Vegas roster. “He said he’s exhausted and needs rest,” he said.

“His performances have not been that good at any Grand Slam. We were always expecting that he would decline to participate in the next event.

“Anyway, he had an invitation (for the Las Vegas leg). So after his not-so-good performance in Paris, he was still up for the task. He said, 'We're gonna come. I will come to Las Vegas.

“But then, there was Norway Chess. This exhausted him so much. Even I would be exhausted. He was so exhausted that I got a message. He said he's exhausted and would like to rest. He can't come to Las Vegas. Unfortunately, he needs rest. So, you know, that's understandable,” he further added.

Buettner also confirmed that Vidit Gujrathi has replaced Gukesh in the Las Vegas line-up.

Gukesh’s Norway Chess campaign saw him grab a win against Carlsen in Round 6, where the Norwegian blundered during the end-game. The World No. 1 also slammed his table in anger as Gukesh bagged his maiden classical win vs Carlsen.

In the live chess rankings, Gukesh is currently the World No. 5, behind R Praggnanandhaa, who is fourth. Meanwhile, Arjun Erigaisi is in sixth position. Carlsen occupied pole position, followed by American GMs Hikaru Nakamura and Fabiano Caruana. Gukesh will be hoping to reclaim his position as India No. 1 soon.