Fabiano Caruana newest top-rated chess participant to query D Gukesh: ‘Not enjoying near his greatest…’

D Gukesh has had fairly the few detractors ever since he turned the youngest world champion in chess historical past final December following his victory over China’s Ding Liren in Singapore. The most important amongst them had been five-time world champion Magnus Carlsen and Hikaru Nakamura, ranked first and second respectively on the planet with the previous counted among the many biggest of all time.

There’s one other member of chess’ elite who has been questioning whether or not Gukesh, who has been making headlines globally earlier than even turning 20, really deserves to be talked about in the identical breath as Carlsen or not.

American Grandmaster Fabiano Caruana, who had completed runner-up on the Norway Chess just lately – behind Carlsen however forward of Gukesh – isn’t simply enjoying down Gukesh’s as a menace for chess’ previous order, however can also be describing the brand new technology of Indian gamers as kids
who aren’t as scary as they’re made to be
.

‘Gukesh has been ambitiously combating for first place’

And talking on the C Squared Podcast, Caruana added that although Gukesh is near enjoying his greatest Classical chess, the titles aren’t coming as often as they had been final 12 months.

“I don’t suppose for the final two occasions (Superbet Chess Basic and Norway Chess) you may say that Gukesh is just not enjoying near his greatest classical chess. That might be an enormous stretch, not even a stretch I feel that might simply be dishonest,” Caruana, who overtook Gukesh on the FIDE Score after Norway Chess, mentioned on the podcast.

“However total if you happen to have a look at the final 12 months and a half, then Budapest Chess Olympiad and FIDE Candidates after which Wijk aan Zee twice… Gukesh has had good performances. Clearly he’s been one of many gamers who’s ambitiously combating for first place in lots of occasions,” he added.

Gukesh is but to win a event since he was topped world champion, having completed runner-up on the Tata Metal Chess behind compatriot R Praggnanandhaa and third at Norway Chess.

The Chennai lad has additionally struggled to make an impression in different Classical occasions such because the Superbet Basic that occurred in Bucharest, Romania earlier than the journey to Norway, and his wrestle with the Freestyle format has been well-documented within the ongoing Grand Slam Tour.

Gukesh, nonetheless, has had his moments, particularly in Norway the place he pulled off a
beautiful victory over Carlsen
– beating the world No 1 within the Classical format for the primary time in his profession.