Chess
"I'm retired bro" – World chess champion D Gukesh trolls critic
Gukesh shares a screenshot of an Insta DM, where a critic approached him aggressively.
Gukesh Dommaraju. (Photo Credits: Eteri Kublashvili/FIDE)
Reigning classical world chess champion Dommaraju Gukesh on Wednesday shared a screenshot of an Instagram DM in which a critic approached him aggressively.
Since winning the world title in 2024, Gukesh has struggled with his form, drawing widespread trolling on social media from around the world.
In one such exchange shared by Gukesh on his IG story, a critic told him to retire and when the same person challenged him to a match. Gukesh replied with a witty retort: “Sorry, I’m retired, bro".
Gukesh shared a screenshot on his IG story regarding a trolling comment from his critic.
The 20-year-old is currently grinding through intense training sessions ahead of the 2026 Chess Olympiad in Uzbekistan in a bid to rediscover his best form.
Over the past year, Gukesh has lost 73 rating points and dropped to world No. 32 in the latest FIDE rankings with a rating of 2703 and has managed just one win in his last 10 games.
However, the intense trolling he has faced risks further denting his confidence, but the youngster needs to break free from this rough patch, especially as he is set to defend his world title later this year against Uzbekistan’s Javokhir Sindarov.