Olympiad crucial for Gukesh in his World title defence: Vachier-Lagrave
Chess grandmaster Maxime Vachier-Lagrave suggests that the upcoming Chess Olympiad in Uzbekistan will be a vital confidence-builder for D. Gukesh ahead of his World Championship match. Vachier-Lagrave notes that Gukesh has been experimenting with his playstyle and needs a strong performance to regain his form.
Why it matters
The analysis provides insight into the psychological preparation of elite athletes ahead of major international sporting championships.
Maxime Vachier-Lagrave believes the Chess Olympiad in Samarkand could be crucial for D. Gukesh in the defence of his World title. The Chennai Grandmaster will be taking on Javokhir Sindarov in the championship match in Geneva later this year.
The Olympiad, the ultimate World team event in chess, gets underway on September 15 in Uzbekistan, Sindarov’s home country.
“If Gukesh can capitalise on the confidence he has from his previous two Olympiads, in which he had excellent performances, and comes up with a great show again, he could suddenly go into the World championship in a much better mood,” Vachier-Lagrave told The Hindu . “I think it would be very helpful for him if he gets a little bit of confidence back.”
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in