Inside Gukesh’s transformation from ‘lone wolf’ to being the life of team meetings at Chess Olympiad

Inside Gukesh's transformation from 'lone wolf' to being the life of team meetings at Chess Olympiad At the Chess Olympiad, the world saw a different side of Gukesh.

Key points

• 6 min read Mumbai Updated: Oct 8, 2026 12: 26 PM IST.
• World champion D Gukesh on a sail boat during the Norway Chess Games day in Oslo during the recent Norway Chess tournament.
• During the recent Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, world champion Gukesh D did something he had rarely ever done in public before.
• While his compatriot smiled good-naturedly, Guys remember, this is Gukesh, he remarked cheekily pointing at Pragg, .

World champion D Gukesh on a sail boat during the Norway Chess Games day in Oslo during the recent Norway Chess tournament. (Express Photo by Amit Kamath).

During the recent Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, world champion Gukesh D did something he had rarely ever done in public before. He cracked a joke. Sitting at the airport on his way back after helping India's open section team to a silver medal, Gukesh shot a video with Praggnanandhaa where he informed his teammate that a fan had approached him for a photo but could not recollect his name, before eventually mistaking him for Pragg.

While his compatriot smiled good-naturedly, "Guys remember, this is Gukesh, " he remarked cheekily pointing at Pragg, ". And I'm Pragg, " Gukesh joked.

In that short, one-minute clip, Gukesh had shown the world a glimpse of his other side: the goofier, 20-year-old version of himself that fans have seldom seen during chess tournaments.

Taken together, the developments around inside Gukesh's transformation from 'lone wolf' to being the life of team point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.