Prague Chess Festival: Gukesh faces tough challenge as he eyes first success of the year

Gukesh aims for a breakthrough at the Prague Chess Festival, facing tough competition from elite players like Keymer and Abdusattorov.

After an early exit from the World Cup and an underwhelming performance at the Tata Steel Masters, world champion D Gukesh would be eyeing a turnaround when he spearheads India's challenge in the Prague International Chess festival starting in Prague on Wednesday (February 25, 2026).

Seeded second in a young elite field, Gukesh will have his task cut out against the likes of top-seeded German Vincent Keymer and Uzbek Nodirbek Abdusattorov who are both currently performing better than him if results in the past few events are anything to go by.

Keymer, ranked fourth globally in live ratings, is just ahead of Abdusattorov while Gukesh, ranked 10th, is the highest-rated Indian.

It wasn't too long ago when there were as many as three Indians in the top-10 but Arjun Erigaisi, and R Praggnanandhaa have both dropped down recently, allowing Gukesh, who has been consistent if not at his best, to be the new India number one in live rankings.

Giving Gukesh company as a fellow Indian will be defending champion Aravindh Chithambaram. This is the event that gave the Chennai-based player his first big breakthrough.

Abdusattorov, fresh from his maiden triumph at the Tata Steel Masters, will be the people's favourite to add another title while Keymer can be relied upon to give everyone a run for their money.