Chess Legend Brutally Mocks D Gukesh's World Title: 'Can Hardly Call Him Strongest'

Last Updated:August 23, 2025, 15:36 IST

Gary Kasparov has discredited D Gukesh's world champion status, saying he cannot be called the strongest player in the world in Magnus Carlsen's absence.

D Gukesh is the youngest world champion in chess (PTI Photo)

Chess legend Gary Kasparov has belittled Indian grandmaster and reigning world champion D Gukesh’s title earlier this year, saying that he was ‘hardly the strongest player in the world’. Kasparov believes that since Magnus Carlsen’s decision to pull out from the World Chess Championships, the tournament isn’t a proof of superiority anymore, while also pointing to Gukesh’s struggles in the early stages before winning it.

In 2022, Carlsen announced he would not defend his World Championship title because he lacked motivation. That broke the historical lineage, where the reigning champion had to be beaten over the board to lose the crown. Hence, the title is now decided only between the Candidates winner and the sitting champion (Ding Liren in 2023–24), with Magnus absent. Gukesh beat Liren to become the youngest ever to the title.

“Gukesh won fair and square, but you can hardly call him the strongest player in the world," Kasparov said during the live broadcast of Round 5 of the 2025 Sinquefield Cup. “I don’t want to sound offensive, but I think Magnus ended the era of classical world champions. Gukesh’s world championship title is very different. It’s still clear that Magnus is the strongest, and Gukesh is yet to prove his superiority over others. Even players of his age category. The round 1 game against Praggnanandhaa at the Sinquefield Cup was very unimpressive. The rules are the rules and the games are the games," he added.

Kasparov went on to apologize for his bluntness, but followed it up by doubling on his opinion that the World Championship was not as competitive as it was in his time.

“I’m sure there will be more excitement in the Candidates and the next world championship match. But I apologise. I have to apologise time and again. This is not exactly the title that I had or (Anatoly) Karpov had or (Bobby) Fischer had or Magnus had," he said.

The comments haven’t been taken well in the chess world. Another legend, Susan Polgar, promptly responded to them on X, saying that Gukesh won the title fair and square and he didn’t deserve to see his efforts delegitimized only because Carlsen walked off.

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First Published:

August 23, 2025, 15:36 IST

News sports Chess Legend Brutally Mocks D Gukesh's World Title: 'Can Hardly Call Him Strongest'

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