India’s D Gukesh (FIDE/Eng Chin An via PTI Photo) NEW DELHI: India’s young chess star D Gukesh has come under fire from former world champion Anatoly Karpov, who claimed his title win was down to luck rather than dominance. Gukesh defeated Ding Liren to become the youngest world champion, but some voices, especially from Russia, questioned the quality of this victory.
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Criticism from former champions
“First of all, the Indian chess player became (champion) by accident because he shouldn’t have won the match against the Chinese (Ding Liren). The Chinese player lost a game there that he shouldn’t have lost. If not, the Chinese player would have remained the world champion,” Karpov told Russia’s KP.RU portal. This is not the first time such criticism has appeared. Former champion Vladimir Kramnik had previously reacted strongly, writing: “No comment. Sad. End of chess as we know it.” He also criticized the quality of play during the match, saying: “Honestly, I’m very disappointed with today’s game (Game 6). Game 5 wasn’t extremely high either, but it was a really – for a pro – really poor game today from both players. It’s very disappointing.He added: “It’s such a strange game. Both players made mistake after mistake, strategic mistakes. It’s like they don’t understand the point of the position. Maybe I’m old school, but it’s pretty basic! Of course, they’re both great players and great calculators. They’re fantastic at calculating.”“But I expect something a little more from a World Championship match, like ideas! Human play, human concepts! If I want to enjoy chess as just a game of calculation, I’d rather watch the Chess Engine World Championship!”
Ding’s answer
Amid criticism of Gukesh, Ding himself took a calm approach after losing the title to Gukesh. “I’m quite enjoying my current situation. I mean, I’m an inactive ranked player who rarely participates in elite invitationals. I’m enjoying this rare moment of time off,” he said in a recent interview.He added: “I continue to play casual games online: it doesn’t require heavy pre-match preparation, just undivided focus in the moment. The process itself is rewarding.”
