Indian chess Grandmaster D Gukesh had the perfect response for a social media troll who told him it was time to retire, turning the exchange into a light-hearted chess-themed comeback.

Gukesh shared screenshots of his conversation with the troll on social media, giving fans a glimpse of how he cleverly turned the tables. The exchange began with the troll sending Gukesh a blunt message: “Time to retire bro.” Gukesh responded simply: “Thanks, bro.”

The troll then asked: “Can we have a match of chess?” That was when Gukesh delivered his checkmate-worthy reply: “Sorry I’m retired bro.”

The troll subsequently attempted to explain the message, claiming that he was only completing a dare given to him by a friend. Gukesh shared the entire conversation with his followers and captioned the post: “haters are fun bro.”

Gukesh set to defend World Title

While the exchange amused fans online, Gukesh is gearing up for a much bigger battle over the chessboard.

The 19-year-old is set to defend his World Chess Championship title against Uzbekistan’s Javokhir Sindarov in November-December. Gukesh became world champion at the age of 18, defeating China’s Ding Liren to become the youngest-ever player to win the prestigious title.

However, his form since that historic triumph has not quite matched the extraordinary run that took him to the world crown.

A screengrab of Gukesh's conversation with the troll

Before becoming world champion, Gukesh had enjoyed a remarkable sequence of achievements, winning the Candidates Tournament and helping India secure gold at the Chess Olympiad before defeating Ding Liren in the title clash.

Since then, however, he has yet to win a tournament. His recent results have also raised concerns, with the Indian star finishing last at Norway Chess and failing to win a single game at the recently concluded Chennai Grand Masters.

‘Whoever plays well will win’

Gukesh, meanwhile, has refused to attach a favourite tag to either himself or Sindarov ahead of their world championship showdown.

Speaking at the Grand Chess Tour on the sidelines of Super Rapid and Blitz Poland, the first event of the 2026 season, Gukesh said he believes the player who performs better on the day will emerge victorious.

“As usual, I don’t believe in favourites. Whoever goes to the match and gives their best on the given day will win,” he said. Gukesh added that rather than focusing excessively on his opponent, his priority would be to bring out the best in his own game.

For now, though, his witty response to the troll has given fans another reason to cheer for the young world champion.