Mumbai, March 31 (IANS) India’s reigning World Champion Gukesh Dommaraju has withdrawn from the remaining events of the ongoing 2026 Grand Chess Tour but will participate in the Rapid & Blitz tournaments in Warsaw and Zagreb as a wildcard player. Gukesh has decided to withdraw from the event to recover from recent poor results.

The Grand Chess Tour (GCT) on Tuesday announced an update to the 2026 full Tour lineup at Saint Louis in the USA.

In a statement, Gukesh shared: “My performance in the last few events has been quite disappointing, not just for me, but for all of you who support me. In order to find my best form, my team and I have decided that I should compete with slightly less intensity over the next few months. Consequently, we feel it is in my best interest to skip long events away from home to allow for more dedicated training time.

“With this in mind, I approached the Grand Chess Tour organisers and asked to play only two European Rapid & Blitz events. They were very supportive and understanding, and we agreed that I would participate in the Rapid & Blitz tournaments in Warsaw and Zagreb this year. I’m very grateful for their support. Respectfully, I am not planning to play any other events during the Grand Chess Tour schedule and will certainly be back for the full Grand Chess Tour in the future,” he said.

Javokhir Sindarov of Uzbekistan will join the 2026 Grand Chess Tour as a full tour participant, replacing Gukesh in the lineup. The reigning FIDE World Cup champion has earned his place through outstanding recent performance at the highest level of international competition. As a full tour player, Sindarov will compete in Warsaw, Bucharest, and both Saint Louis events.

“We respect Gukesh’s decision and welcome his participation in the Rapid & Blitz events in Warsaw and Zagreb,” said Alex Onischuk, the Deputy Executive Director of GCT, in a statement on Tuesday. “At the same time, we’re excited to have Javokhir Sindarov join the full Tour. He has demonstrated exceptional form at the highest level, and we look forward to his participation throughout the 2026 season.”

The 2026 GCT season will continue to bring together the world’s elite players across a series of premier international events. The 2026 tour schedule remains as follows:

Super Rapid & Blitz Poland: May 3-10, 2026, Warsaw, Poland

Super Chess Classic Romania: May 12-24, 2026 Bucharest, Romania

Super Rapid & Blitz Croatia: Jun. 29-Jul. 6, 2026 Zagreb, Croatia

Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz: Jul. 31-Aug. 7, 2026 Saint Louis, USA

Sinquefield Cup: Aug. 8-21, 2026 Saint Louis, USAGCT Finals: Aug. 21-28, 2026 Saint Louis, USA.

Gukesh will soon get to know who will come through the Candidates 2026 and challenge him in the World Championships Final Match.

–IANS

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