Gukesh to train for chess world championship: Coach Prasanna

New Delhi: D Gukesh will train at an undisclosed location as he gears up for the chess world championship final against Ding Liren later this year in Singapore.

‘’A couple of weeks ago, Gukesh started preparing for the World Championship in earnest,” his coach Vishnu Prasanna told this daily. “Between tournaments, he has been training with Poland’s Grzegorz Gajewski. When not playing a tournament they will train one to one at an undisclosed location.”

Gajewski, a former second of Viswanathan Anand, has been associated with Gukesh and was by his side when the Indian teen won the Candidates in Canada in April. This will be the first time since 2013 that an Indian will be featured in the final (Anand had lost to Magnus Carlsen).

While Singapore beat out Chennai to earn the right to host FIDE’s blue-riband event, Prasanna thought that his ward was mentally prepared to play anywhere. ‘’Gukesh was mentally prepared to play the world championship at any place. In Singapore, he can play in a relaxed manner, but Chennai also would have been fine,’’ said Prasanna.