Magnus Carlsen has showered accolades on 17-year-old Indian prodigy D Gukesh, who became the youngest-ever World Chess Championship challenger a week ago after he emerged victorious in the Candidates event. A “wonderful guy who was very quiet and humble and had a great curiosity when it comes to everything about chess,” according to the world number one, is Gukesh.
“It surprised me how well he performed at the Candidates. Some of the best players in history have typically shown promise from a young age and then go on to achieve success at the highest level a little bit ahead of expectations. On the Norwegian podcast Sjakksnakk (Chess Chat), hosted by his pals Askild Bryn and Odin Blikra Vea, Carlsen stated, “It’s been an amazing story.”
When the Chennai lad emerged victorious from an eight-man tournament that included some highly experienced pros, Carlsen noted how unflappable he looked.
Although Gukesh didn’t appear under strain during the Candidates, Ding Liren, his opponent in the 2017 World Championship, hasn’t been the same since he took home the trophy the previous year. In the rare tournament he participated in after winning the world championship, the Freestyle Chess G.O.A.T. Challenge, and the Tata Steel Masters event in Wijk aan Zed, he has struggled.
“There will be no doubt as to who will win the World Championship. Who will have the best nerves in that World Championship match will be the key factor. Gukesh hasn’t demonstrated a lot of nerve thus far. Because he is so young, he is unaware of any better. He is unaware that you should be anxious (on an occasion such as the Candidates). “I believe it could be advantageous for him to participate in a World Championship match at such an early age,” Carlsen stated.
The world number one stated, “Ding has not looked himself at tournaments he has played since he won the World Championship,” in reference to the Chinese world champion. One wonders if Ding Liren’s injury from his previous World Championship is something he will always have. Though I’m not positive, I believe there’s a chance he might be. It is my sincere hope that he will return to compete in additional competitions as well as the World Chess Championship.
“Hopefully, he’ll perform at a far higher level. However, I’m not entirely certain of that. He will undoubtedly be the favourite (in the World Championship) if he can perform at the same level as in the past. When it comes to World Championship contests, you have these few months to prepare. In an effort to appear strong early on, players may try a variety of opening lines, but as the game goes on, players typically reveal their true selves. They become essentially the same player they were previously, with their flaws accentuated.
I don’t think we should expect Ding to be significantly better when the World Championship match rolls around if he keeps playing so poorly in the lead-up. According to Carlsen, Ding must address his psychological problems in the upcoming months before he can begin focusing on his tournament preparation in training camps.
“I’m hoping that before the World Championship game, we see evidence that Ding is at least 90% of the player he was in 2019,” said the author. His performance at the 2023 World Championship, in my opinion, was still far below his best. It was fortunate that he was portraying Ian Nepomniachtchi, a character who was as anxious.
“It’s possible that he won’t reach his previous level of performance, which was in the range of 2018 to 2019.” He has benefited from taking some time off following the World Championship bout. It’s not nearly enough, though. I hope he returns. However, it’s not a given that we’ll see him perform at that calibre in the future. I believe that Ding’s experience following the World Championship match should serve as a wake-up call to chess enthusiasts and pros alike about just how difficult these events truly are. Because he hasn’t shown many indications of healing after his World Championship title, which was awarded to him a year ago.
