D. Gukesh: Magnus 2.0?

D. Gukesh

 In April 2024, Dommaraju Gukesh became the youngest person to earn the right to challenge the world chess champion. He bested none other than Garry Kasparov in this feat. He emerged as the sole leader in the F.I.D.E. Candidates chess tournament 2024; after 14 rounds. He managed this by prevailing over Titans of the game like Hikaru Nakamura, Ian Nepomniachtchi and Fabiano Caruana. He will challenge the reigning champion Ding Liren of China later this year.

 

Hikaru vs Nepo Candidates 2024

 

Performance of Gukesh at the candidates was impressive. He lost only once to Alireza Firouzja with black pieces. But he was in a better position most of the game and was caught in time trouble. In the reverse fixture of the double Swiss, he showed nerves of steel. He was quite relentless after getting the advantage throughout the tournament but also at the same time showed the maturity to settle for equality, if there was nothing there in the board.

Alireza Firouzja at Candidates 2024

  Dommaraju Gukesh hails from Chennai, India. He is the third youngest to complete the requirements of Grand Master title, as of April 2024. Also he is currently the youngest to reach a chess elo. rating of 2750. He is currently 17 years old and studies at Velammal Vidyalaya school, Mel Ayanambakkam, Chennai.

Fabiano Caruana and Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa

 

 Of the three Indian teenage sensations in chess: Nihal Sarin, Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa and Dommaraju Gukesh, the last one was a bit under rated. Even the GOAT Magnus Carlsen himself expected him to be below 'top contender' level at the candidates. He expressed the sentiment in a chess.com video with David Howell. 

 But experts like Susan Polgar rated him highly. In an interview given to IANS, she even stated that, he hold an edge over Ding Liren. 

 His strength lies in his extraordinary stamina, intuition and a cool head under pressure. Nihal have a lot to go in chess knowledge and preparation, while Pragg needs to work on his flair; which is both a boon and bane. Of the three Gukesh looked the most promising and he is currently proving it to the world.

Sofia, Judith and Susan Polgar

 In the golden trio he is the closest to Magnus Carlsen. To understand that, you need to realize what makes Magnus so special. As explained by Levy Rozmann to Lex Fridman, firstly it's knowledge: No person alive knows more about chess than Magnus Carlsen. His phenomenal memory aid him to remember games way in the past to the modern era. In a famous clip in which he went on to compete against Alexandra Botez with just 30 second on the clock; he was heard differentiating between the Botez sisters Alexandra and Andrea just based on their chess openings!

  Secondly, it is hard work. Having a memory is not enough, you have to fill it with stuff. As explained by Hikaru Nakamura; in his Twitch channel GMHikaru, talent is not enough. The youngsters needs to work more and more to rise higher and higher. Hikaru was talking about Alireza Firouzja. But it applies to any talented young person. Magnus works immensely hard. You could hear Grand Masters like Anish Giri complain online that, I have never looked at this line of play or that particular opening, but never Magnus Carlsen.

 

Both of this together gives Magnus his greatest weapon; his intuition. Magnus just instantly know whether a position is equal, lost or winning. As soon as opponents are out of their preparation, they often feel; they are dealing with Stockfish personified. He rarely makes mistakes even under time pressure. For instance during his world championship game against Ian Nepomniachtchi, Game 6; even engines kept saying game was equal. But Carlsen pressed on and eventually won.

Thirdly, what makes Magnus special is his versatility. Whether it is a long strategic grind or tactical move that has to be spotted instantly; Carlsen can do both. Also he can be as aggressive as Judit Polgar and be as defensive as Vladimir Kramnik; at the same time. That is why Garry Kasparov termed Magnus as a blend between, Bobby Fischer and Anatoly Karpov. In addition to it, Carlsen has a cool head on his shoulders, he will swiftly drop his plans and play the emerging situation as needed.

Lastly, what makes him special is his stamina. Not many Grand Masters can play soccer or fight till the last pawn as Magnus does. Since no real dichotomy exist between body and mind; it shows Carlsen's ability for short term grind. This is the secret behind his unparalleled ability to win. It also could be the reason behind his out of this world end game ability. 

 

So there you have the parameters: Intuition created through knowledge and hard work, Versatility and Stamina.

 

Magnus Carlsen