At just 18 years of age, Indian Grandmaster D Gukesh has made history by becoming the youngest world chess champion ever. He accomplished this remarkable achievement by defeating the reigning champion, Ding Liren, in Singapore. The decisive match culminated in a tense fourteenth game, where a significant error on the 55th move by the Chinese Grandmaster led to his resignation, thereby granting victory to Gukesh. This triumph triggered a frenzy on social media, with chess legends, enthusiasts, and analysts praising his accomplishment. However, it also drew criticism from certain quarters, including Magnus Carlsen, who is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in chess history.

Carlsen minimized the significance of Gukesh’s victory, asserting that classical chess is the "worst way" to determine the world's best player. He further characterized rapid chess as a more legitimate form of competition. These views were recently echoed by Armenian-American Grandmaster Levon Aronian, who currently holds a FIDE rating of 2747, ranking him 11th globally. Aronian's peak rating was 2830 in March 2014, and he was ranked World No. 2 in 2012.

In a podcast on the Take Take Take app, Aronian elaborated that a player rated at 2600, given appropriate training, could potentially draw against a top-10 Grandmaster. It is noteworthy that Carlsen is a co-founder of the Take Take Take application. “Absolutely. If we consider a well-disciplined individual at the 2600 level who studies openings, such as the improved Tarrasch and prepares against e4 to play the Petrov with knight e5 and knight e4.”

“Essentially, if we train someone in this manner, they would likely be able to draw against top 10 players 80 per cent of the time. This is not what chess fans desire. I do not wish to witness a weaker player completely neutralizing a stronger opponent.”

The 42-year-old further likened chess to boxing and MMA, seeking to illustrate why the rapid format should be favoured. “Certain sports have evolved in this way, leading to a transformation in the nature of the competition.”

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