India's 18-year-old prodigy Dommaraju Gukesh lost the game with a white chess piece at the beginning.Picture: www.imago-images.de
The Singapore World Chess Championship grandly opens. India's 18-year-old prodigy Dommaraju Gukesh, who was expected to face China's defending champion Ding Liren, lost in vain at the start.
Gukesh remained outwardly calm after Monday's surprise defeat. The challenger admits he was a little nervous at first. Later he also made “a mistake.” But the showdown, which is expected to last up to 14 games, will still take a long time. “I won't change my plans,” stressed the teenager, who heads to Singapore as favorites for the World Cup showdown.
Gukesh may seem confident, but he carries a huge burden. Millions of Indian chess enthusiasts hope that their young compatriots will follow in the footsteps of the great Viswanathan Anand. Fondly known as “Vichy” in the chess world, Vichy was not only India's first and so far only world champion in mind sports. With his success, he sparked a passion for chess in the world's most populous country that continues to this day. Gukesh belongs to a generation of young talents known as the “Sons of Vichy.”
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Gukesh has almost reached the top of the phalanx of Indian masters. The only thing missing now is a victory for Singapore. He even stoked expectations himself. “Representing my country and carrying the hopes of Indians is something I take very seriously,” he said at the start of the World Cup. He is the youngest challenger in the 138-year history of the World Chess Championship. His opponent is the 32-year-old defending champion Ding Junhui. Commentators speak of a multi-generational war.
Especially in India, more and more young players are reaching the top of the world in an increasingly shorter time. In November 2024, there are three Indian players in the top ten of the WTU alone, with veteran Anand ranked tenth and compatriot Arjun Eligueth even one place ahead.
The numbers speak for themselves: until 1999, India had only three chess grandmasters, according to calculations by the India Today newspaper. Since then, the country has produced more than 80. In addition to the international online chess craze, one of the reasons for this development is that many masters like Anand have started their own chess schools to find talents and train them.
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However, Gukesh advanced to the Singapore final with victory in the World Cup qualifying tournament, with world number one Magnus Kaslen once again absent. In Canada in April, Gukesh left well-known opponents such as Russia's Jan Nepomnyashchi behind. In 1985, when 22-year-old chess icon Garry Kasparov became the youngest world champion in chess history, he vividly recounted the “Indian earthquake in Toronto.”
Gukesh continued his success at the 2024 Budapest Chess Olympiad and won the team gold medal with Team India. In the duel between Gukesh and Ding Liren, Ding Liren went through a period of weakness due to psychological problems after winning last year's World Cup. He did not win in the classical chess competition this year and became the clear favorite.
But now the question arises, whether Gukesh can withstand the pressure. In Tuesday's second game, he was never able to get Ding into trouble with black. As far as he's concerned, the Chinese are slightly better off, according to computer calculations, but he doesn't want to take any risks. He leads 1.5:0.5, and his opponent Gukesh will be forced to find offense in the next twelve games. This brings opportunities for counterattacks and creates excitement. (Sudanese Development Authority/Department of Political Affairs)
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