India, Sept. 24 -- Since becoming the youngest-ever World Chess Champion last year, D Gukesh has been receiving constant criticism. Even when the Indian GM beat Ding Liren at the World C'ships, the quality of the match was criticised by the likes of Magnus Carlsen and Vladimir Kramnik.

The pressure has also increased for Gukesh, considering he is 19 years old and was 18 when he became World Champion. His weakness in Freestyle Chess has been a highlight this year, and then he had the worst phase of his career at the FIDE Grand Swiss in Samarkand, where he was also held to a draw by Divya Deshmukh.

Speaking to The New Indian Express, Anand weighed in on Gukesh's recent form and remarked that the reigning World Champion is 'having a bumpy ...