Gukesh Flourishes: At just 18, Gukesh has become a serious contender in the classical game of chess and is on the threshold of making history. His deep analytical skills and ironclad focus have marked him out as distinct from his peers. Even though his success at classical chess continues unabated, his rapid and blitz show a marked contrast. So what makes Gukesh, who is no slouch at long formats of chess, struggle to hold fort at the quicker formats?
The Power of Deep Calculation
Magnus Carlsen, five-time world champion, thinks Gukesh’s calculation abilities are unlike anyone else’s. In classical chess, Gukesh flourishes because he spends an inordinate amount of time calculating all sorts of scenarios, which often take him further down the “tree of analysis” than his opponents can afford to go. That skill lets him examine one million possibilities before making a move.
In contrast, rapid and blitz formats impose strict time constraints, curbing Gukesh’s strength in deep calculation. These formats often favor intuitive players who can quickly recognize patterns and make decisions with limited analysis. Gukesh, as Carlsen notes, occasionally struggles to filter out moves quickly under time pressure, leading to positional errors.
Gukesh’s Approach Versus His Peers
Gukesh’s teammate Arjun Erigaisi highlights the key differences in their playing styles. While Arjun and fellow prodigy Praggnanandhaa rely heavily on intuition, Gukesh focuses significantly on calculation.
Arjun and Praggnanandhaa are intuitive players who thrive in rapid and blitz since these players can intuitively understand the dynamics of the board at a glance, but Gukesh is more calculation-based, and his style naturally dovetails with the more deliberate pace of classical chess.
This brings home why Gukesh fares well in classical formats. His analytical depth and precision shine better when he has the time to explore moves more thoroughly. But in faster formats, this whole reliance on calculation can work against him at times.
Five-time World Champion Viswanathan Anand – Gukesh’s mentor – also gives a larger perspective of the young talent’s abilities. According to Anand, Gukesh has really shown some good classical Chess skills this year as he tries hard to qualify for the World Championship.
Anand feels that Gukesh’s talent is not just about classical chess. If concentrated, he says Gukesh could make enormous progress in rapid and blitz formats. This would make him a complete player eventually.
Risk Taking and Ambition
Another important aspect of Gukesh’s gameplay is his ambition and willingness to take risks. Arjun Erigaisi observes that both he and Gukesh have a similar taste for ambitious and aggressive play; such attacks often pay off in the more complex games of classical strategy where the sensible risk can be greatly rewarded.
Where, however, the same ambition become a double-edged sword in rapid and blitz is the very same that in too little time can amplify the impact of a miscalculation.
Read more Chess India: Rising Star Gukesh
The Way Forward for Gukesh
The focus of Gukesh on classical chess has given him a level very few others have reached in the global chess map. But the ratings in rapid (2654) and blitz (2615) were relatively lower, indicating a potential need for that kind of growth. According to Anand as well as several experts, strategic changes, such as perfecting faster games, can make Gukesh a towering figure in chess.
That the young Tamilian is set to face reigning champion Ding Liren in a 14-game classical showdown, as the chess world waits with bated breath on whether he could translate exceptional skills into a historic world championship title to usher in a new era for Indian chess and possibly to change the world order of chess.
