Does Fabiano Caruana Think Gukesh & the Indians are Declining?
In this interview, grandmaster Fabiano Caruana analyzes his victory over Abhimanyu Mishra at the American Cup, detailing the tactical errors and time pressure that led to his opponent's collapse. Caruana explains his decision to prioritize practicality over perfect calculation, noting how he leveraged his initiative to secure a win. The conversation also touches on his preparation for the upcoming Candidates tournament, which he views as his primary focus despite his current participation in St. Louis. Additionally, Caruana addresses the recent performance slumps of young Indian stars like Gukesh, dismissing the idea of a permanent decline. He maintains that these players remain elite talents and suggests that their recent struggles are likely temporary setbacks within a small sample size. The discussion concludes with reflections on how pre-tournament form does not always predict success in world championship qualifying events.
CHESSSPORTSNEWS
Arteyo
3/5/20262 min read
Does Fabiano Think Gukesh & the Indians are Declining?
Credits to St. Louis Chess Club - Fabiano Caruana talks to Maurice Ashley after defeating Mishra in Game 1 of their Champions Bracket Quarterfinal at The American Cup 2026.
In this interview, GM Fabiano Caruana analyzes his victory over Abhimanyu Mishra at the American Cup, detailing the tactical errors and time pressure that led to his opponent's collapse. Caruana explains his decision to prioritise practicality over perfect calculation, noting how he leveraged his initiative to secure a win. The conversation also touches on his preparation for the upcoming Candidates tournament, which he views as his primary focus despite his current participation in St. Louis. Additionally, Caruana addresses the recent performance slumps of young Indian stars like Gukesh, dismissing the idea of a permanent decline. He maintains that these players remain elite talents and suggests that their recent struggles are likely temporary setbacks within a small sample size. The discussion concludes with reflections on how pre-tournament form does not always predict success in world championship qualifying events. We are sharing only the part where Fabi discusses about his candidates chances and his view on the Indian performance of the Indian players.
Q: You are heading to the Candidates tournament in Cyprus soon. How does this event serve your preparation for that "really big one"?
Caruana: The last few months of my life have been focused almost entirely on the Candidates. However, I don’t believe my performance here has any direct relevance to how I will perform there. There is even a bit of a superstition in chess that doing poorly in a preceding tournament—like Wijk aan Zee—can lead to a win at the Candidates, as seen with Sergey Karjakin in 2016 and myself in 2018. Ultimately, I’m here because I felt some extra practice couldn't hurt.
Q: There has been recent discussion regarding a "decline" in the performance of top Indian players like Gukesh, Praggnanandhaa, and Arjun Erigaisi. I expect Gukesh, "Praggnanandhaa struggles?
Caruana: I think that narrative is based on a small sample size. These players are all very young and have played phenomenally over the last year or two; for instance, Gukesh was arguably the best player in the world in 2024. While Gukesh’s recent form might be concerning because he has a World Championship match at the end of the year, I still consider him a top player. I expect Gukesh, "Pragg," and Arjun to remain at the top of the game for decades to come.
What do you think is going wrong with the Indian players?
