 "Exclusive | Don't think Gukesh got carried away with praise, too soon to draw such conclusions: Vidit Gujrathi")
Indian chess Grandmaster Vidit Gujrathi believes that the pressure of the World Chess Championship, rather than complacency, is behind the troubled start for his teammate and challenger, D Gukesh. The 18-year-old Gukesh was considered the favourite going into the World Chess Championship 2024, having won the FIDE Candidates earlier this year and riding a wave of blistering form that also helped India clinch gold in the open section at the 45th Chess Olympiad.
However, it was reigning world champion Ding Liren of China who claimed the first victory in Round 1 of the 14-game series . It was also Liren’s first win in 304 days.
The second match between the duo ended in a draw, while the third match is scheduled for Wednesday. The first player to reach 7.5 points in the Championship will be declared the winner.
“I think we all underestimated the nerves that Gukesh might feel while playing a World championship. After all, he is just 18… In game 1 it was quite evident that he wasn’t playing good chess and I think the pressure got to him, which is understandable,” Vidit Gujrathi, who was part of the gold-medal winning Indian team at the Chess Olympiad, told Firstpost.
“Ding in his prime was very creative and hard to beat… I felt one of his biggest strengths was his consistency. I remember at one point he had an unbeaten streak of over 80+ games.”
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More ShortsVidit Gujrathi, however, is confident that his teammate will bounce back from the difficult start and believes both GMs will be on equal footing in the upcoming games.
“Also, I don’t think it will be very one-sided. The next 4-5 games are very critical. If Ding wins another game and extends his lead, he will get a big confidence boost and the match can get out of hand. Although, I expect a level match for the 1st half (of the Championship),” he added.
Vidit Gujrathi, 30, also refused to entertain talks of complacency settling into Gukesh’s game as he has already experienced dizzying heights at a very early stage in his career. Even Liren in an interview said that he fears "losing badly" to Gukesh in the World Chess Championship .
“I don’t think he got carried away with the praise. It’s just one game and it’s too soon to draw such conclusions.. also mentally he is very tough, so he can adapt to this,” the former under-14 world champion said. “…he is very creative and takes a lot of risks… that’s why when things start to go well, they can go excellent like in Olympiad.”
The third match of the World Chess Championship 2024 between Gukesh and Liren will be played on Wednesday (27 November).
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