‘Sad. End of...’: Former Russian grandmaster’s viral reaction as Gukesh dethrones Kasparov to be youngest chess champion 

A post by former World Chess Champion Vladimir Kramnik went viral on December 12 following the announcement of D Gukesh’s historic victory as the youngest chess world champion. At just 18, Gukesh dethroned Garry Kasparov, who had held the record since 1985 when he became the youngest ever world champion at 22.

In his reaction, Kramnik in a post on X wrote: “No comment. Sad. End of chess as we know it.”

He expressed frustration over the game’s quality, calling a critical blunder by Ding Liren “childish” and adding, “Never yet has a WC title been decided by such a childish one-move blunder.” Kramnik had previously criticised the level of play in the championship, particularly in Game 6, calling it “weak” for professional standards.

Magnus Carlsen, the five-time World Chess Champion, had also criticised the quality of play between Gukesh and Ding Liren, stating during a podcast, “This doesn’t look like a game between two World Championship contenders. It looks more like a second or third-round match in an open tournament.”

Carlsen further pointed out that Gukesh made it easy for Ding in Game 12 by failing to adopt an aggressive playstyle, allowing Ding to recover and equalize the match.

On December 12, D Gukesh made history by becoming the youngest-ever world chess champion, defeating reigning champion Ding Liren in a dramatic final game. This victory heralds a new era in Indian chess, following in the footsteps of the legendary Viswanathan Anand, who won the World Chess Championship five times.

At 18, Gukesh is only the second Indian to win the prestigious title, after Anand. The legendary player, now semi-retired at 55, has played a significant role in mentoring Gukesh at his Chennai academy.

“I’m just living my dream,” said Gukesh, who made history by securing the championship title in a thrilling conclusion to Game 14.

Post-match, Liren said, “It took time to realise that I have erred. I feel that it is my best tournament of the year. In my opinion, it’s not bad. Maybe in certain situations, things didn’t go right. On the whole, it is a good result. I have nothing to regret.”