Defending champion Ding Liren believes his Indian challenger D Gukesh is a strong contender for the world chess title in November. Ding Liren feels his game has “degraded” in the past year. Liren and Gukesh are currently competing in the 45th Chess Olympiad here.
The Indian team comprising Gukesh, R Praggnanandhaa, Vidit Gujrathi and Arjun Erigaisi is currently tied for the top spot with Liren’s China and hosts Hungary. “I am seeing my opponent (Gukesh) playing very well in this tournament. He is probably a bigger contender than me in the World Championship. His rating is also higher than mine right now,” Liren said in a talk organised by the International Chess Federation (FIDE).
He said, “My game has deteriorated a lot compared to last year, but I will try my best to bridge the rating gap.” The 31-year-old Chinese player is the highest-rated chess player of all time. He won the global title by defeating Russian Grandmaster Ian Nepomniachtchi in May last year. However, he had to take a break from the game after battling depression.
Liren made a comeback at the Tata Steel Chess Tournament earlier this year and finished ninth in the competition. Gukesh won the Candidates Tournament in April and became the youngest challenger for the world title at the age of 17. He turned 18 in May. The two will clash in Singapore from November 20 to December 15 for the coveted title and the prize money of $2.50 million (about Rs 21 crore).
If Gukesh manages to win the title, he will become the first Indian to become champion after the great Vishwanathan Anand. Anand won this crown five times in his illustrious career. Gukesh has been avoiding revealing his plans for the World Championship. When asked about the match against Liren, he insisted on talking about the current tournament.
He said, “This is an important tournament. I am hoping to play better chess. My focus is on the Olympiad right now.” Liren said that there is a possibility of a tough competition between India and China for the gold medal in the 11-round Olympiad. He said, “Both of us are very strong teams. There is a possibility of a gold medal match between us.”
Gukesh said that all the teams participating in this competition are strong. There are 196 teams in the open category (men) and 184 teams in the women’s competition in the Olympiad. This young player from Chennai said, “All the countries are strong, we have to play with the right spirit every day. The atmosphere in our team is very good.
