India, Dec. 19 -- Not often a man of theatrics, D Gukesh pumped his fist glancing towards the crowd inside the Royal Opera House. He had beaten world No.3 Fabiano Caruana for his first win in the Global Chess League (GCL), and his face lit up with a smile.

The 19-year-old hasn't had a lot of such days on the board through a quiet year after becoming the classical world champion and the toast of India in December 2024. He's been hopping across tournaments, juggling different formats, and, along the way, learning to deal with the heightened spotlight that comes with the crown.

As Gukesh wades through the challenges of rise in expectations and chatter around him after a dip in form, HT spoke to some of his current rivals and former prodigi...