World Champion Gukesh Dommaraju shared his thoughts on the pressure of his title in an interview with Indulge Express. Gukesh explains that since becoming a Champion, the public began to expect more from him, noting that he’s ready to handle the pressure and play like a professional.

Gukesh Dommaraju

Gukesh Dommaraju

World Champion

“One unfortunate thing I have to deal with is that after I became World Champion, people’s expectations of me increased tenfold.

Every match I play has its share of doubt and fear by default. But now, when I play, people only expect me to win. But that’s not how it works…

But what can you do? As a professional player, you can’t escape reality, and you have to adapt to the situation you find yourself in and give it your all — there’s no excuse not to give it your all!”

Indian GM Gukesh Dommaraju (2754) became the youngest-ever World Chess Champion in 2024. Gukesh defeated Chinese GM Ding Liren (2734 Inactive) with a score of 7.5-6.5 in the match. In January, Gukesh participated in the Tata Steel Masters where he scored 6.5 points and finished 9th out of 14.

Credit: Michal Walusza