Indian team captain Srinath Narayanan shared his opinion on Gukesh Dommaraju’s recent performance. Narayanan considers confidence the reason for Gukesh’s drop-offs, and believes the Champion will play well at the Chess Olympiad 2026.

Srinath Narayanan

Srinath Narayanan

Indian team captain

“Gukesh is very good at calculation. But there’s an element of confidence in his game, which is probably one of the reasons why there are a lot of ups and downs in his play.

When he’s really confident, he plays the same way, but he pulls off things. But when his confidence is impacted a bit, there are also big drops in his play.

I feel there is a chance of a turnaround in the Olympiad. Because, unlike closed invitational tournaments which Gukesh has been playing where every player is rated about 2650 or 2700, the Olympiad is more like an open tournament. Something which Gukesh hasn’t played in a long time.

That’s where he built his initial successes.”

Reigning World Champion Gukesh Dommaraju finished 8th/10th at the Sinquefield Cup 2025, 41st at the FIDE Grand Swiss 2025, and was eliminated in the 3rd round of the FIDE World Cup 2025. In February he finished 9th at the Tata Steel Chess Masters 2026. In March he finished last at the Prague International Chess Festival. In the end of the May Gukesh finished last at the Norway Chess 2026, and in July he finished last at the Chennai Grand Masters 2026.

The Chess Olympiad is a prestigious national team competition. The event is held every two years and organized by FIDE. The 2026 Olympiad follows the 2024 edition where India with Gukesh in the lineup won gold medal.

Credit: Michal Walusza / Norway Chess