Garry Kasparov downplays Gukesh’s world title: ‘You can hardly call him the best'

Indian chess champion D Gukesh made history by recently becoming the youngest-ever World Champion. This victory was celebrated worldwide by chess fans and admirers. However, his victory was not free from criticism in the public eye. Magnus Carlsen has previously questioned his capabilities on the win over Ding Liren. Now grandmaster Garry Kasparov has added his weighed in on the 18 years old Gukesh achievement.

Garry Kasparov on D Gukesh championship win

Speaking on the sidelines of the Sinquefield Cup, Garry Kasparov acknowledged Gukesh’s victory but drew a clear line when comparing him to past champions. “Gukesh won fair and square, but you can hardly call him the strongest player in the world,” said the former world champion. He further said, “I don’t want to sound offensive, but I think Magnus ended the era of classical world champions.”

Garry Kasparov stressed that the teenager’s crown lacks the same weight as his own or that of Carlsen. “Gukesh’s world championship title is very different,” he said. Pointing to recent performances, he added, “It’s still clear that Magnus is the strongest, and Gukesh is yet to prove his superiority over others. Even players of his age category. The round 1 game against Praggnanandhaa at the Sinquefield Cup was very unimpressive.”

At the same time, Kasparov acknowledged the legitimacy of the tournament outcome. “The rules are the rules and the games are the games,” he remarked. “I’m sure there will be more excitement in the Candidates and the next world championship match. But I apologise. I have to apologise time and again. This is not exactly the title that I had or Karpov had or Fischer had or Magnus had,” he said.

Garry Kasparov’s comments drew strong reactions, including a powerful defense from chess legend Susan Polgar. Writing on X, she stated: “Gukesh is a deserving World Classical Champion, period! … It was not his fault that Magnus Carlsen walked away from his title. If we, as a chess community, delegitimize his title because he did not beat Carlsen, then we need to do the same for World Champions after Bobby Fischer… We can not have different standards for players we like or dislike.”

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