World number one Magnus Carlsen has praised D Gukesh for making the most of his chances to be crowned the youngest-ever world chess champion but has ruled out the possibility of a title showdown with him as desired by the Indian teenager. The 18-year-old defeated defending champion Ding Liren in the 14th and final round of the competition on Thursday, becoming only the second Indian after Viswanathan Anand to claim the coveted trophy.
“It's an incredible performance (from Gukesh). First he was in the FIDE circuit, won the tournament in Chennai on demand and then he had a great performance in the Candidates tournament,” Carlsen said in a popular recap stream, covering the match analyzed. .
Carlsen said he was a bit surprised by how the match played out, with most of the matches ending in draws.
“This was something that was a bit unexpected. Many of us thought Gukesh was a favorite to win the match, but this was a match that never really got off the ground. Gukesh did a great job of keeping the position alive and suddenly it was all over,” said Carlsen.
“It's very good for him, he's had the title for two years now and winning this championship is hugely motivating, so there's a good chance he will now go for a great run of results and probably become number two.” player today and can become number one in the not so distant future,” he noted.
At the press conference after the event, Gukesh stated that he would like to battle it out against Carlsen at some point. The Norwegian maverick decided not to defend his title in 2023 after winning the world championship in 2013.
“Winning the World Chess Championship does not mean that I am the best player, that is of course Magnus Carlsen. I want to reach the level that Magnus has reached,” said Gukesh.
“It would of course be great to play against Magnus at the world championship, it would be the toughest challenge there is in chess. It's up to Magnus, but I would like to test myself against the best player in the world.”
But Carlsen ruled that out. “I'm not part of this circus anymore,” Carlsen said in a general reference to world title clashes.
Carlsen also praised Gukesh's team and said they did a good job.
“It's becoming more and more difficult (to play regular openings). All the main lines are being analyzed, so they had to jump a bit,” Carlsen said of Gukesh's opening choices.
“I've generally kept it pretty risk-free with the white pieces, I've tried not to let things get out of hand,” he added.
The best player in the world for ten years was now critical of Liren's choices in the last match.
“There are a lot of things Ding could have done differently, Gukesh really made the most of his opportunities,” he said.
“It's a huge moment for India, it's a combination of the work being done there. This isn't over yet.
“There will be many more success stories to come. It was really heartwarming to see what it means for Gukesh. It was a very beautiful moment,” Carlsen summed up.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by DailyExpertNews staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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