D Gukesh will be missing the next Las Vegas Freestyle Chess Grand Slam, with last Tuesday’s official line-up announced. The current world champion gave mediocre performances at the Paris and Weissenhaus Grand Slams.
Strong Showing at Norway Chess 2025 Before Exhaustion Sets In
He recently played at Norway Chess 2025, where he came third behind winner Magnus Carlsen and runner-up Fabiano Caruana.
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.
CEO: ‘We Were Always Expecting Gukesh to Decline’
“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.
Vidit Gujrathi Replaces Gukesh in Las Vegas Line-Up
Buettner has also confirmed that Vidit Gujrathi has taken the place of Gukesh in the Las Vegas line-up.
Gukesh’s Norway Chess stint involved him scoring a win against Carlsen in Round 6, in which the Norwegian erred while playing the endgame. The World No. 1 also slammed his table in frustration as Gukesh scored his first classical win vs Carlsen.
Current Live Rankings: Gukesh World No. 5, Eyes India No. 1 Spot
In the live chess rankings, Gukesh is already World No. 5, behind fourth-placed R Praggnanandhaa. Arjun Erigaisi is sixth. Carlsen held the top spot, followed by American GMs Hikaru Nakamura and Fabiano Caruana. Gukesh will be looking to become India No. 1 again very soon.