Gukesh Dommaraju, the youngest ever undisputed world chess champion, faces the challenge of replicating Magnus Carlsen's achievements. While celebrated for his victory, questions remain about his ability against other top players. Gukesh aims to win prestigious tournaments like Tata Steel Wijk aan Zee, Norway Chess, and the Sinquefield Cup, potentially setting the stage for a future match against Carlsen.
There was a hero’s welcome for 18-year-old Gukesh Dommaraju when chess’s youngest ever undisputed world champion returned to Chennai after his dramatic game 14 win over China’s Ding Liren in their title match in Singapore. Amid the furore, there are some question marks.
Magnus Carlsen, the No1 ranked player who renounced the crown last year citing the drudgery of months of preparation for title matches, expressed doubt whether Gukesh would have performed so well against a different opponent: “If he was playing Fabiano Caruana or Hikaru Nakamura in this match and played the same way, he would probably have had a very difficult time,” wrote the Norwegian. Caruana and Nakamura, America’s world No2 and 3, were edged out by just half a point at the Toronto Candidates in April, when Gukesh qualified as the challenger. Gukesh himself recognises that Carlsen is still ahead of him: “It’s a motivating factor, trying to reach the level of greatness that Magnus has achieved.” What this means in practice is that for the period until his mandatory title defence in 2026, Gukesh will attempt to replicate Carlsen’s stellar results in top international tournaments. Three events are widely recognised as the best, and Carlsen has won all of them several times. They are Tata Steel Wijk aan Zee in the Netherlands in January, where Gukesh will compete but Carlsen will be absent; Norway Chess at Stavanger in May-June, where both Carlsen and Gukesh have both just been announced as participants for 2025; and the Sinquefield Cup at St Louis in August, the brainchild of FT reader and billionaire Rex Sinquefield. If Gukesh can perform at his peak and win one or more of these chess Triple Crown events, then interest will surely grow for a Carlsen v Gukesh match. The financial environment is ripe. Chess currently has sponsors for events like the Global Chess League, the World Rapid and Blitz on Wall Street, and the Freestyle Tour, all with multimillion dollar budget
CHESS WORLD CHAMPION GUKESH DOMMARAJU MAGNUS CARLSEN TOURNAMENTS
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