India, Feb. 24 -- The Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour began with its first leg in Germany this month, as Vincent Keymer reigned supreme at Weissenhaus. For Indian chess fans, it was a source of disappointment as reigning world champion D Gukesh endured a winless run.

The 18-year-old finished in eighth position, and is set to return to Paris for the next Grand Slam event, scheduled for April. The Paris Grand Slam event will also see Arjun Erigaisi and R Praggnanandhaa join Gukesh and form a strong Indian contingent.

But it looks like Gukesh is unsure about his Freestyle Chess future, as revealed by his chief trainer Grzegorz Gajewski. The Polish GM spoke to Hindustan Times and revealed that due to the India No. 1 young age, he still need...