Earlier than the Candidates chess event started in Toronto, former world champion Magnus Carlsen was requested to evaluate the eight-player subject within the open part of the celebrated event that’s being held to pick out the challenger to the world champion Ding Liren.
He had been miserly in his odds for the Indian trio of Vidit Gujrathi, Praggnanandhaa and Gukesh on the gruelling event. All three of them had been competing within the Candidates for the primary time. However Carlsen was significantly blunt concerning the possibilities of 17-year-old Gukesh profitable the title.
Gukesh, the 17-year-old from Chennai, made historical past by profitable the Candidates chess event which makes him the youngest ever contender on the World Chess Championship. (PHOTO: FIDE/Michal Walusza)
Speaking about Gukesh, who was the second youngest participant ever to compete on the Candidates, Carlsen had mentioned: “I can not think about him profitable the Candidates. I can see him being anyplace from +2 to -5 (on the finish of the event). I believe he will definitely win at the very least a few video games, however may have some pretty dangerous losses as nicely. I don’t assume he’ll do poorly, however I don’t assume he’ll do too nicely both. He’s not fairly prepared but to make the leap. It’s extra doubtless that he has a nasty occasion.”
Gukesh proved Carslen fallacious by profitable the Candidates, leaving the World No 1’s predicted favourites behind — two-time World Championship contender Ian Nepomniachtchi, World No 2 Fabiano Caruana and World No 3 Hikaru Nakamura — by half a degree.
Whereas Gukesh was nonetheless taking part in Nakamura within the closing spherical, Carlsen was on the Chess24 stream to provide his evaluation of how the Candidates had performed out the place he admitted he had been “confused” about Gukesh.
“Gukesh might be a bit stronger than myself and others realised. The factor about Gukesh is that he can look actually susceptible at instances. Then he’s additionally not superb at pace chess. That may confuse (individuals’s evaluation about him). And he’s not as high-profile as a few of the different children, which is complicated. However he’s confirmed on this event that he’s very robust,” admitted Carlsen.
Carlsen was requested concerning the youthful technology of gamers arising.
“By way of the younger gamers, they’re heading in the right direction. I don’t assume that any of them are prepared… wish to be No 1 on the earth anytime quickly. However there are various gamers who’re by no means going to be like that. I don’t need to give these children recommendation or something,” he mentioned earlier than revealing that Gukesh had approached him on the Freestyle Chess G.O.A.T. Problem chess occasion in Germany earlier this 12 months to hunt recommendation.
“He requested what he ought to do on the Candidates. I mentioned ‘I don’t have any recommendation. I don’t know.’ I solely informed him that he mustn’t go loopy and that he ought to await his possibilities as a result of different individuals will go loopy. I don’t assume that recommendation was even useful in any respect. He’s performed very nicely,” mentioned Carlsen.