Chess India: Just as the World Chess Championship in Singapore is around the corner, chess fans and analysts are looking ahead to a likely bout between current title holder Ding Liren and Indian youngster D Gukesh. According to many, including India’s top masters Pravin Thipsay and Abhijit Kunte, the teenager is, at 18 years of age, ‘well’ positioned to go all the way. Gukesh has a terrific opportunity of winning the title with a near clean score before the twelfth game knowing there are fourteen up for grabs, as both Grandmasters seem to stand assured.
Also in line to glee as Gukesh’s former rivals, Garry Kasparov and Magnus Carlsen, Hikaru Nakamura and Anish Giri also hail him to seize the game based on current form and strategy’s. This time, even Ding has admitted Gukesh has had tremendous achievement in this sweet past one year and Gukesh poses to be a very difficult nut to crack.
Indian Grandmasters What They Predict.
Grandmaster Abhijit Kunte made a startling announcement at the Sports Journalists Association of Mumbai’s recent conclave: “I think Gukesh will win by round 12.” Other GM Pravin Thipsay supported this optimism, adding ‘We will not see a 12th game,’
Gukesh trailed 4-2 in the previous World Chess Championship where the first one to reach 7.5 points out of 14 games takes the crown. A win gives 1 point, and a draw gives 0.5 points each for the players. Considering gookesh’s style of play, which is more aggressive and attacking, he might clinch the required points to end the match before the final games actually start.
Strength of Character: How Gukesh Outshines Ding
Pravin Thipsay remarked, “Gukesh has a mindset which says: ‘Okay, if I do it badly now, I will do it better tomorrow.’ A typical mindset of a former champion Anatoly Karpov.’ Thipsay noted that despite being very young, Gukesh does not act like one at the board, and that superiority factor may work in his favour against Ding Liren, 32.
Perhaps the mental difference between the two players may also be a factor. Thipsay was also able to recall from last years championship an instance where Ding, seeing no work ahead after losing the fourth match, was poorly able to control himself after the match. “After the fourth game in the World Championship last year, we saw Ding started to cry. He most likely put in the worst performance (of his life),” Thipsay said. In comparison, it is Gukesh’s mental strength that allows him to learn from any failure and come back refreshed and stronger the next time.
Gukesh’s Absolute Focus on the Chessboard
Though Kunte, Gukesh is focused on the game of chess and lives his entire life around it, having the potential to perform exceptionally well in important matches. “Gukesh does know how to switch off. But when he does that, he does it because of chess! Everything he does, he looks at how it will benefit his chess,” said Kunte. This unprecedented confidence, combined with Gukesh’s rise, suggests that there may be room for getting the better of a somewhat mercurial Ding.
Ding’s Era Rebirth – The Form That Started It All
Kunte has also developed a new philosophy about Ding’s game ever since Ding went through a rich spell of undefeated matches from 2017 to 2018. “The Ding we see today is like the 2nd era of Ding liren,” Kunte said. “The first era was before covid. Ding 1.0 was very strong while Ding 2.0 is not so much.” This change might impact Ding’s output on the board particularly because Gukesh is a fighter.
Actually, Kunte was of the view that Ding may want the match to go into tiebreaks given that they have shorter time controls. “Gukesh is great in classical format but not so in the rapid and blitz formats,” Kunte said. “That is why Ding might want the game to go the distance.” It was anticipated by Kunte that the game was likely to go to tiebreaks, which could present Ding with an opportunity to use his experience if the encounters reach that stage.
Evolution of World Chess in the 21st Century
With the obvious anticipation of the match up between Gukesh and Ding, it seems chess is entering a new era. The story of Gukesh’s rise can be an Indian case study on the effect of youth on the global chess stage. If Gukesh manages to win the title, he will cement his name as one of the world’s youngest crowned Chess Champions, which would be history making for Indian chess as well as for the sport as a whole.
We are looking forward to a thrilling match, where the players face each other in the field and in their minds, with one person just starting out, and the other already past the prime of his professional career. It will be interesting to see if Gukesh can prove Grandmasters Thipsay and Kunte right or whether Ding’s experience and flexibility will allow him to defend his title once again.
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Conclusion: New Era for Indian Chess?
Gukesh’s journey to this time and date has been a journey which spans over time, sustained hardships, self-discipline, and strong performance in competitive situations. If the title goes to him as predicted by many, it will further strengthen India’s claim in the international chess scene and younger players’ ambitions as well.
With the World Chess Championship days away, there’s excitement in the air as to what new ’standards’ Gukesh will set now. Gukesh has been described as a hot-headed and talented kid who very soon will be known all around the globe as a chess legend, no one can wait for the end of the match, a match filled with history.
