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D Gukesh Responds to Magnus Carlsen’s Criticism of World Championship Victory: ‘The Pure Chess Part Was…’
D Gukesh Responds to Magnus Carlsen’s Criticism of World Championship Victory: ‘The Pure Chess Part Was…’
At the World Chess Championship on Thursday, D Gukesh defeated reigning champion Ding Liren in a match that would go down in Indian chess history as a memorable event. Gukesh won the pivotal Game 14 7.5-6.5, becoming him the youngest-ever world champion at the age of 18. Liren had hoped to force a tie-breaker at the start of the match, but a crucial error gave Gukesh the victory.
Gukesh was clearly moved after the game, crying with happiness as supporters showered him with praises on social media. The chess community, however, had differing opinions on his triumph. Vladimir Kramnik, a former world champion, expressed his displeasure with the match’s quality on X (previously Twitter), calling it “the end of chess as we know it.” Kramnik called Liren’s error “childish” and seemed to minimize the match’s importance. Similarly, Magnus Carlsen expressed his dissatisfaction with the level of play by characterizing the game as “a second or third-round match of an open tournament.”
In an interview with BBC World, Gukesh addressed the criticism while remaining calm. When asked if the remarks made by Carlsen and Kramnik had offended him, he said, “Not really.” “I realize that the quality of some of the games may have been lacking, but I believe that character and willpower are more important factors in world championship matches than chess alone. And I believe I demonstrated those traits rather effectively.
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He recognized the difficulties of the novel experience, pointing out that the pressure and workload had changed. “It’s understandable that I was a little off, but I’m happy that I was able to strike at the right times,” Gukesh continued. Chess greats like Viswanathan Anand, who attended his FIDE coronation in Singapore on Friday, gave him encouragement despite the criticism. Gukesh was crowned the world champion and his potential for future success in the chess world was highlighted by the tournament, which was a major turning point in his career.
