Kasparov praises Gukesh for breaking his record as youngest world champion, hails India's chess dominance
By Sunita Iyer | First Published Dec 13, 2024, 3:38 PM ISTRussian chess legend Garry Kasparov praised D. Gukesh for surpassing his record as the youngest world champion, stating that the Indian prodigy has "summitted the highest peak of all."
Russian chess legend Garry Kasparov praised D. Gukesh for surpassing his record as the youngest world champion, stating that the Indian prodigy has "summitted the highest peak of all." Kasparov also addressed critics who focus on blunders, reminding them that no match has ever been without mistakes.
The 18-year-old Gukesh earned the title by defeating China's Ding Liren in Singapore on Thursday, breaking Kasparov's previous record of becoming world champion at the age of 22 in 1985, when he dethroned Anatoly Karpov.
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"He has summitted the highest peak of all: making his mother happy," Kasparov posted on X.
My congratulations to on his victory today. He has summitted the highest peak of all: making his mother happy!
— Garry Kasparov (@Kasparov63)"Gukesh impressively surmounted every obstacle and opponent in his path, especially considering his age, and nothing more can be asked," he said.
Kasparov is among the chess greats who believe the traditional world championship ended when world number one Magnus Carlsen chose not to defend his title in 2023. However, the 61-year-old emphasized that "that is not the story today."
The former multiple-time world champion, now a political activist based in New York, also disagreed with his contemporary Vladimir Kramnik. Kramnik had stated that the numerous blunders in the match marked the "end of chess as we know it," calling the performance of both players "disappointing."
"The level of play was quite high, at least equal to the previous match. Ding showed great resistance. As for the blunders, which world championship, or world champion, was without them? I had my share, and recall the double blunder in Carlsen-Anand 2014, g6. Matches take a toll," Kasparov reasoned.
The level of play was quite high, at least equal to the previous match. Ding showed great resistance. As for the blunders, which world championship, or world champion, was without them? I had my share, and recall the double blunder in Carlsen-Anand 2014, g6. Matches take a toll.
— Garry Kasparov (@Kasparov63)"Gukesh was well-prepared and the player who played the best won the match. His victory caps a phenomenal year for India. Combined with Olympiad dominance, chess has returned to its cradle and the era of "Vishy's children" is truly upon us!" he quipped.
Kasparov described India as a country with an endless reservoir of human talent.
"The future is bright not only in chess. The summit has been reached and now the goal must be to raise it even higher for the next ascent. Congratulations again. Upward!" he said.
India is a nation with an unlimited pool of human talent, combined with the freedom to explore and develop it. The future is bright not only in chess. The summit has been reached and now the goal must be to raise it even higher for the next ascent. Congratulations again. Upward!
— Garry Kasparov (@Kasparov63)Btw, just noticed a coincidence that 12/12, today is the 40th anniversary of one of my world championship milestones, winning my first game against Karpov in our first match in 1984, game 32! First step in salvaging my dignity in that one!
— Garry Kasparov (@Kasparov63)
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