India, Feb. 21 -- D Gukesh made history in December of the previous year by becoming the youngest world chess champion. At just 18 years old, he accomplished this remarkable feat by defeating the reigning champion, Ding Liren, in Singapore. The decisive game featured a significant error from Liren, which allowed Gukesh to secure his victory, prompting a wave of excitement on social media as fans and chess icons extended their congratulations to the Indian grandmaster.

Following his triumph, Gukesh opted not to participate in the World Rapid and Blitz Championships held in New York at the end of the year, an event marked by various controversies. He resumed competition in January at the Tata Masters in Wijk aan Zee, where he faced R Praggnanandhaa in a tie-breaker for the title but ultimately lost. Nevertheless, his impressive performance elevated him to the position of India’s top player, displacing Arjun Erigaisi. However, Gukesh's momentum came to a halt at the Weissenhaus Freestyle Grand Slam, where he finished without a victory, suffering defeats against Magnus Carlsen and Alireza Firouzja.

Recently, Carlsen appeared on Joe Rogan's podcast, discussing the innovative development strategies of the new generation of chess players and drawing comparisons between Firouzja and Gukesh.

Several years ago, I participated in a training camp alongside a young individual named Alireza Firouzja, who currently represents France but hails from Iran. At that time, he was approximately 14 years old. My chess coach had suggested that we include him in the camp, asserting that he was the most gifted player available. During the camp, each participant typically had a laptop, with a chessboard positioned centrally. We would focus on our analyses while also collaborating on the board, exchanging ideas primarily related to openings, along with various other exercises.

This young prodigy utilized his laptop to analyze specific positions while simultaneously engaging in online games for monetary stakes. His objective was to fund a cloud-based chess engine, which generally offers superior performance compared to local software. To achieve this, he played one-minute games on one platform and five-minute games on another, all while actively participating in our discussions at the board. He appeared completely at ease, absorbing everything without any difficulty. This approach ultimately contributed to his rise as one of the world's top players, primarily through his relentless engagement in rapid chess.

In contrast, we have the current classical world champion from India, Gukesh, who does not engage in casual games at all. His focus is entirely on rigorous study. He does not excel in rapid or blitz formats, as his efforts are concentrated solely on classical chess. Remarkably, he did not possess any chess software on his computer until he was around 13 years old, by which time he had already achieved the title of grandmaster. It is fascinating to observe the diverse methodologies for development that exist even in contemporary times, leaving Rogan in a state of admiration for the Indian grandmaster.

Firouzja is recognized as a chess prodigy, having secured the Iranian Chess Championship title at the age of 12 and achieving the Grandmaster title by the age of 14. In 2019, he departed from the Iranian Chess Federation due to the nation's enduring policy prohibiting competition against Israeli players. He competed under the FIDE flag until mid-2021, after which he acquired French citizenship and now represents France in international chess competitions.

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