The World Chess Championship in Singapore begins with a bang. India's 18-year-old prodigy Gukesh, who is the favorite against China's defending champion Ding Liren, loses the opening game with White.
Dommaraju Gukesh remained outwardly calm after the surprising defeat on Monday. He was a little nervous at first, the challenger admits. And later he also made "a kind of blunder". But the duel, which is scheduled for a maximum of 14 games, will last a long time. "I'm not going to change my plan," emphasized the teenager, who had travelled to Singapore as the favourite for the world championship duel.
Gukesh looks confident, but there is a huge burden on him. Millions of Indian chess fans are hoping that their young compatriot will follow in the footsteps of the great Viswanathan Anand. Vichy, as he is affectionately known in the chess world, was not only India's first and so far only world champion in the game. With his successes, he unleashed a wave of chess enthusiasm in the world's most populous country that continues to this day. Gukesh belongs to the generation of young talents who are also known as "Vichy's children".
Chess-loving India
Gukesh has almost made it to the top of the phalanx of Indian grandmasters. The only thing missing now is a triumph in Singapore. He is even raising expectations himself. "Representing my country and carrying the hopes of the Indians is something I take very seriously," he said at the start of the World Championships. Against the 32-year-old defending champion Ding, he will be the youngest challenger in the 138-year history of the World Chess Championships. Commentators are talking about a battle of the generations.
From India in particular, more and more younger players are advancing to the top of the world rankings at ever shorter intervals. In November 2024, there are three Indian players in the top ten of the Fide World Federation alone, including former champion Anand in 10th place. Gukesh is in fifth place, with compatriot Arjun Erigaisi even one place higher.
The figures speak for themselves: until 1999, India had only three chess grandmasters, according to the newspaper "India Today". Since then, the country has produced more than 80. In addition to the international online chess boom, one reason for this development is also seen in the fact that numerous grandmasters such as Anand have founded their own chess schools, are on the lookout for talent and train them.
In top form in early summer
However, Gukesh reached the final in Singapore thanks to his victory in the World Championship Candidates Tournament, in which the world number 1 Magnus Carslen once again did not take part. In Canada in April, Gukesh left well-known opponents such as Jan Nepomniashchi from Russia in his wake. Chess icon Garri Kasparov, who was the youngest world champion in chess history at the age of 22 in 1985, spoke figuratively of an "Indian earthquake in Toronto".
Gukesh continued his success at the 2024 Chess Olympiad in Budapest, where he won team gold with the Indian team. Gukesh therefore went into the duel against Ding Liren, who went through a weak phase after his World Championship victory last year due to psychological problems and did not win a classical chess game this year, as the clear favorite.
But now the question is whether Gukesh can withstand the pressure. In the second game on Tuesday, he was never able to get Ding into trouble with the black pieces. For his part, the Chinese player was slightly better according to computer calculations, but he didn't want to take any risks. He leads 1.5:0.5 and his opponent Gukesh will be forced to go on the offensive in the next twelve games. This opens up counterattacking possibilities and promises excitement.
SDA