India, March 9 -- The weight of the world title can break even the strongest of players. For 19-year-old D. Gukesh, the pressure recently reached a visible breaking point at the 2026 Prague Masters.

Following a heartbreaking loss to fellow countryman Aravindh Chithambaram, the world champion sat slumped at his chair, seemingly "mentally cooked." In a rare break from elite chess etiquette, Gukesh left the table without resetting his pieces, a raw sign of the heavy psychological toll the game is taking on him.

Gukesh's recent outing at the 2026 Prague International Chess Festival was a glaring indicator of his current struggles. The teenager finished joint last in the 10-player field.

His scorecard was uncharacteristic: three defeats, fi...