Battle of GMs: Calm Gukesh up against unpredictable Liren in world championship clash

SINGAPORE: The weight of expectations sits lightly on his teenaged shoulders and Grandmaster D Gukesh would bank heavily on his calm mind when he takes on Chinese Ding Liren in the World Championship showdown beginning here on Monday, aiming to become the first Indian after Viswanathan Anand to win the coveted title.

The majority of the chess world is rooting for the 18-year-old in-form Indian, who already displays the poise of a champion. What remains to be seen is how he handles the pressure of the big occasion during the fortnight-long showpiece.

If the first press conference held on Saturday afternoon was any indication, both players have immense respect for each other and yet, both are determined to give their best.

Liren had won a match of fluctuating fortunes against Ian Nepomniachtchi of Russia in 2023 to be crowned the world champion but since then, the Chinese has suffered from mental health issues and competed very less compared to Gukesh in the last one year.

"My job is pretty clear -- just go into every game as the best version of myself and play the best moves in the position. If I do that, if I keep playing good chess and stay in the right spirits, even with his recent form dip or even at his best, I don't think it really matters," Gukesh said on Saturday.

"If I do the right things, I'm confident I have all the chances in the world," he asserted.

This year's tournament marks the first time in 138 years that two Asian players will be pitted against each other in the marquee clash, that is offering a prize fund of USD 2.5 million.

Exactly a year ago, no one could have predicted a likely clash between Gukesh and Liren as the latter was already the defending champion and the Indian had big hurdles to cross.

"I won't say I am super calm. I know this is a big event, and I am super excited. But I also know I can handle any nerves. As long as I am confident in my skills, I don't have anything to worry about," Gukesh acknowledged ahead of the big event.

Liren, who has admitted that Gukesh is the runaway favourite at this point, expects an interesting battle.

"He is younger, but he displayed his virtue in many aspects. If we can both perform our best, it will be a great match," the 32-year-old has stated.

Gukesh would be looking to end a title drought for India that dates back to 2013, the year that five-time champion Anand lost the crown to Norwegian superstar Magnus Carlsen.

Anand remains the only Indian to have won the event and he is eagerly awaiting Gukesh to emulate him after having played a considerable part in shaping him at his chess academy in Chennai.

"I wouldn't have been close to what I am now if it wasn't for Vishy sir," Gukesh has stated at every given opportunity to appreciate Anand's role.

The road to the match

Gukesh's journey to the world championship match started last December when he qualified for the Candidates tournament as a high-performing player following his victory in the Chennai Grandmasters tournament.

After that, the biggest challenge was the Candidates in which the American duo of Fabiano Caruana and Hikaru Nakamura were considered clear favourites with Nepomniachtchi tipped to be closer to them than anyone.

Gukesh almost took the chess world by storm winning the Candidates ahead of these fancied players and the list also included R Praggnanandhaa, who was considered by many as the most talented among the present crop of young Indian players.

Later, playing as the top board for India in the Chess Olympiad recently at Budapest, Gukesh proved that his success was no flash in the pan as he was one of the driving forces behind the country's first gold medal-winning performance.

The statistics also favour Gukesh, who has gained 37 rating points since last November with a peak rating of 2794, while Liren has endured a free-fall losing as many as 52 points in the same period.

At 2816 points exactly six years back, Liren was the second highest rated player in the world who is now number 23 on the list.

The Chinese is also the only reigning world champion who has fallen out of the top 10 in the last few decades.

Gukesh, at 2783, is currently ranked fifth in the rating list.

The one thing that can, however, comfort the Chinese player is the personal score.

Gukesh is yet to win a Classical game against him while Liren has had two victories besides a lone draw against the Indian in their three one-to-one contests.

Liren's last victory against Gukesh came earlier this year during the Tata Steel Chess tournament in Wijk Aan Zee, The Netherlands. He beat Gukesh in the same event in 2023.

The weighing scale seems definitely in favour of Gukesh given his current performance but if Liren can play at his best, he could well prove to be a tough nut to crack.