D Gukesh has indicated in no unsure phrases that he considers the stress of the World Championship chess match as a privilege. And sure, in case you win the crown, the privilege that you simply get pleasure from is great. Like an enormous majority of previous champions, Gukesh is assured to play one other World title match in 2026 — the reigning champion will get a direct seeding to that coveted firm of two gamers battling it out.
He dethroned Ding Liren in Singapore on Thursday. The champions from most different sports activities have to begin from scratch to defend their crown as problem rounds are abolished.
Moreover, many particular person sports activities — like boxing, capturing, wrestling, swimming, archery, desk tennis, badminton, weightlifting, amongst others — have completely different champions in numerous sections. Not ONE world champion.
Actually skilled sports activities like tennis and golf don’t have world championships. Plus a few of these sports activities don’t enable two entries from one nation in main competitions. However the world championship match between compatriots is feasible within the 64-square recreation. China’s Ju Wenjun had defeated contrywoman Lei Tingjie for the ladies’s world chess title final yr.
V Anand turned the undisputed 15th World Matchplay chess champion in Oct 2008. The following Fide score record, launched in Jan 2009, had solely two Indians within the high 25 — Anand and Ok Sasikiran. Now there are six Indians within the top-26 together with three in top-10.
Gukesh might nicely play his subsequent title match towards a fellow Indian with Arjun Erigaisi and R Praggnanandhaa being among the many contenders. And even when any Indian doesn’t turn out to be the challenger in 2026, Gukesh (or some other Indian) being part of the 2028 Championship match is sort of excessive. Now, with six extra India gamers on the earth rankings from No. 27 to 100, and this determine is anticipated to rise, the nation is nearly assured of significant world title contenders until 2030. That is Gukesh’s present scratch card to Indian chess. It’s as much as the custodians of the sport (AICF, state and district associations) to profit from it.
The gamers have performed their bit. They’ve capitalised on the Covid pandemic that opened on-line boards for elite gamers; and well timed intervention of V Anand helped in grooming them into world-beaters. Future has been paradoxically merciless to Anand. Think about not getting an opportunity to play the true World Championship match for 13 years after shedding to Garry Kasparov at World Commerce Middle in New York in 1995. And that too when he was clearly among the many top-two gamers on the earth. However future has its manner of offsetting issues. It has accelerated the trail of progress for Anand’s ‘kids’. With out the platform and staff supplied by Anand, this surge was nigh unimaginable.
Gukesh gained his maiden world title on this first Candidates cycle. Anand needed to watch for 17 years after enjoying Alexeri Dreev in Chennai in 1991, and capped it by dethroning Vladmir Kramnik in Bonn in 2008. If Gukesh had misplaced in tiebreaks, questions would have been requested on the missed possibilities and whether or not it was a proper choice to play obscure traces and play considerably uncharacteristic chess for the massive a part of the match.
