Following his World Chess Championship triumph in Singapore last year, D Gukesh has emerged as arguably the most celebrated Grandmaster in India. The 18-year-old achieved a remarkable victory against the reigning champion, Ding Liren, in a surprising turn of events. The championship culminated in the pivotal Game 14, where it appeared that Liren was executing his strategy effectively, aiming to force a tie-breaker.

However, a significant error on the 55th move by the Chinese Grandmaster led to his resignation, granting Gukesh the victory. This outcome sent shockwaves through the chess community, particularly since Gukesh was not anticipated to contend for the title just a year prior. His unexpected success in the Candidates Tournament paved the way for his confrontation with Liren.

Gukesh garnered accolades and tributes from both current and former chess players, although some reactions were less favourable. World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen and former world champion Vladimir Kramnik, who also served as Gukesh’s coach, criticized the match, describing Liren’s blunder as a juvenile mistake that dramatically altered the course of the game.

Viswanathan Anand outshines Magnus Carlsen and Vladimir Kramnik

During a recent event, renowned Indian chess player Viswanathan Anand provided a compelling rebuttal to the criticisms directed at Gukesh's World Championship victory by figures such as Carlsen and Kramnik. Anand emphasized that Gukesh maintained a consistent strategy of aggression throughout the match. He remarked, “Gukesh never really changed the strategy of pushing. Unexpected events occurred during the match, but he was present the following day, continuing to push forward. The rook blunder did not occur in isolation.”

In response to Carlsen following his triumph in Singapore, Gukesh acknowledged that while the quality of the games may not have always met high standards, the championship match was nonetheless commendable. He also extended a challenge to Carlsen for the title, although the Norwegian has already dismissed the possibility.

Gukesh opted out of the World Rapid and Blitz Championship at the end of the year but is set to return to competitive play this year, facing off against prominent players such as Anand and Magnus Carlsen. Currently, he holds the position of World No. 5 in the latest FIDE rankings and is recognized as India’s No. 2 player.

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