Having become the new world chess champion, D Gukesh will open his 2025 campaign at the Tata Steel Chess Tournament, scheduled to begin on January 17, in the Netherlands. The Indian Grandmaster defeated defending champion Ding Liren in Singapore, to become the youngest-ever world champion, in December.
The championship reached the decisive fourteenth game, and it looked like it was going according to the Chinese Grandmaster’s plan, but a massive blunder in the 55th move saw him resign and concede to 18-year-old Gukesh.
Gukesh’s historic win sent social media into a state of meltdown, as he received plaudits from former and current chess players. But he also received negative criticism from some, including Magnus Carlsen and former coach Vladimir Kramnik.
Singapore’s youngest Grandmaster Siddharth Jagadeesh knows Gukesh from a very young age, having faced him in under-age tournaments. Speaking to Sportstar, Jagadeesh recalled an interesting incident in an u-9 tournament, when Gukesh offered him a draw out of mercy.
“So, the first place in the tournament wins the Candidate Master title. And a draw secured him the first place. [Even though] he was in a better or winning position, he just offered me a draw and I accepted it. But, I’m sure he could’ve won if he wanted to,” he said.
Commenting on Gukesh’s win vs Liren, he said, “So, my game would finish at maybe 7 p.m. or so (Singapore time). And they would be maybe 2-3 hours into their game. And then, I would go and watch.”
“I think you can understand the complexity of the game if you’re there. Because you are fully engrossed in the atmosphere. But if you’re watching at home, you’re doing some other things on the side. You don’t understand what they’re thinking. You just see the engine evaluation and you think it’s very easy,” he added.
In February, Gukesh is also set to face Viswanathan Anand and Carlsen in the first tournament of the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour 2025, in Germany. Meanwhile, he will also travel for the Norway Chess 2025 tournament in May, and will once again take on Carlsen.
