So Dommaraju Gukesh has done it. At 17, and on debut, he's won the FIDE Candidates 2024, and he's done it in style. You can read more about that here, and here, but now let's get straight to the prize for pulling off that epic win: a shot at being World Champion.
Of course, it's way too early for any kind of preview -- what with neither the date (though it should be later this year) nor the venue even being set -- but if fear of the unknown didn't stop Gukesh from creating history, we can't let it stop us writing this preview, either.
Ok, let's start with what we know then. Who is the World Champion?
China's Ding Liren. And how he became it is quite some tale.
He wasn't even supposed to participate in the 2022 Candidates, but a ban for Russian GM Sergey Karjakin meant he was in. He finished second, behind Ian Nepomniachtchi.
Then Magnus Carlsen decided to, well, not defend his title. That set up a unique championship match: where whoever won would be crowned world champion for the first time.
He struggled early on against Nepomniachtchi, but as detailed here, stayed the course, put the pressure back on his opponent and eventually came up victor. It was one of the most unlikely of triumphs.
Anything special about this Ding-Gukesh match-up?
So much! And these stats highlight it best:
At 17, Gukesh is the youngest to challenge for the world title.
If he wins, he can become the youngest world champion ever.
This will be the first-ever men's world championship title clash that will not feature a European player.
Wait, have Gukesh and Ding played each other?
At this level of elite chess, everyone's played everyone at some point. Most recently, Ding played Gukesh at the Tata Steel Masters on Jan 15, this year, and it was a demolition. Gukesh sacrificed a pawn early, attacking the queen side, but Ding saw through the strategy and took him on. He dangled a pawn, which Gukesh initially ignored, but eventually took -- and from there it was game over as Ding used his decisive attacking to take complete positional superiority.
But here's a fun fact: Gukesh's win at the Candidates not only made him India's no. 1 (again), but he's now gone one point past Ding in the ratings. Gukesh is right now the higher rated of the two!
What does Ding have to say about Gukesh?
As per chess.com, this is what Ding said after Gukesh's Candidates win: "He has a maturity that doesn't match his age, he has his own unique understanding of the position, and although I have the advantage in classical chess, he is a difficult opponent to face."
Praise, but not too much, eh?
Love the "I have the advantage in classical chess." Just the world champ reminding everyone who the man is, that's he's 'got this'.
Now, into the unknowns: Has Ding really got this?
Probably. Ding is a superb player whose ability to handle intense pressure was proven at the biggest stage of them all. But now, so has Gukesh.
Rank outsider in Canada, Gukesh exhibited a fearlessness that shook many of his opponents. He held no regard for traditional conservatism, going for the win whenever he could. He did not back down when put under the cosh, counterattacking in the belief that he was good enough to do exactly that.
Gukesh: "The main thing was that I was in the right mindset throughout the event. From start to end, I was in good spirits, fully motivated, and I really wanted to win the event. All these things come together. It was helpful that I was sharp chess-wise and I managed to play some... pic.twitter.com/KJyYupF2KG
- International Chess Federation (@FIDE_chess) April 22, 2024
What makes this match even harder to predict is the similarity in the demeanour of both players: calm, composed... you could even say, cold.
In the World Championship match in 2022, where you could see Nepomniachtchi visibly crumble, you could also see Ding just sitting there, expressionless intensity oozing out of him, just waiting for an opportunity to pounce.
Gukesh is similar -- just witness that tense last round match against Hikaru Nakamura. While Nakamura and the other two contenders (Nepomniachtchi and Fabiano Caruana) were gesturing wildly, their posture making evident the state of their games, Gukesh just sat there, did his thing and drew. Which saw him win the whole thing.
Ok, so who'll take the win?
This one is genuinely impossible to guess, and we aren't going to be brave enough to hazard a guess.
With months to prepare, both Gukesh and Ding will be hunkering down and going into all-out preparation-mode. In the end it'll be a battle of Ding's experience vs Gukesh's willingness to push the boundary. Oh... and a battle to see which of the two coldest facades in today's chess world cracks first.