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D Gukesh’s slow start in 2025 blamed on Khel Ratna Award ceremony in bombshell revelation by chess World No. 3

Jan 19, 2025 03:41 PM IST

D Gukesh received the Khel Ratna Award from President Droupadi Murmu in New Delhi, on January 17.

D Gukesh had to rely on experience and skill as he stunned Anish Giri with a comeback win on Sunday. The Indian grandmaster arrived hours before his Tata Steel Masters opener in Wijk Aan Zee, Netherlands. This was also his first competitive appearance since his historic World Championship victory in December last year.

President Droupadi Murmu presents Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award to chess world champion D Gukesh.(PTI)
President Droupadi Murmu presents Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award to chess world champion D Gukesh.(PTI)

The 18-year-old defeated Ding Liren in Singapore to become the youngest-ever world chess champion. Then he decided to skip the year-ending World Rapid and Blitz Championships due to the amount of felicitation ceremonies in India on his return.

Also Read: D Gukesh leaves ex-World No. 3 GM shellshocked, world champion stages sensational comeback to open 2025 season with win

Against the Dutch grandmaster in his 2025 season opener, Gukesh made a massive error early on to give Giri the advantage. But then the Indian counter-attacked with all his experience to secure a massive victory, which also left Giri shellshocked in total despair. It took Gukesh a total of 42 moves to secure the win.

Hikaru Nakamura reveals reason behind D Gukesh's slow start

Speaking on his Youtube channel, American grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura revealed the real reason behind Gukesh’s slow start vs Giri. Nakamura stated as Gukesh received the Khel Ratna Award, he arrived only ‘three hours’ before the tournament. The award ceremony was on January 17 in New Delhi, and Gukesh received the award from India president Droupadi Murmu.

“Gukesh was in India to receive one of the highest civilian awards from the government just yesterday and today he flew into the game and arrived three hours ahead of the game being played and let’s jump right into the action,” he said.

“Gukesh was probably a little bit tired probably a little bit jetlag. Now for Anish he is somebody who traditionally has done very well in this tournament but at times he has struggled outside of this event,” he added.

Gukesh is expected to build a strong winning run this year, and will also take on the likes of Viswanathan Anand and Magnus Carlsen in February, in the freestyle chess format. His world championship victory sent social media into a state of meltdown as fans, former and current chess stars paid their tributes. But it also received a negative response from the likes of Carlsen and Vladimir Kramnik, who is also Gukesh’s former coach. The pair criticised the quality of the match, and felt that it didn’t suit the legacy of a World Championship.

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Stay updated with the latest sports news, including latest headlines and updates from the Olympics 2024, where Indian athletes will compete for glory in Paris. Catch all the action from tennis Grand Slam tournaments, follow your favourite football teams and players with the latest match results, and get the latest on international hockey tournaments and series.
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