Gukesh’s world title ‘not the same’ as Carlsen’s or mine, says Kasparov

Salford – Chess legend Garry Kasparov has cast doubt on the weight of D. Gukesh’s world championship title, suggesting it does not carry the same prestige as those held by Magnus Carlsen or himself.

Kasparov voices scepticism over Gukesh’s title

During the live broadcast of the fifth round of the Sinquefield Cup, Kasparov commented that the “era of the classical world champions ended” when Magnus Carlsen opted out of the championship cycle, in 2023. He acknowledged that Gukesh “won fair and square” but added: “you can hardly call him the strongest player in the world.” Kasparov stressed that Gukesh’s title is “very different” and that he has yet to prove superiority even over peers in his age bracket. He also referred to Gukesh’s opening-round loss to R. Praggnanandhaa as “unimpressive”

Kasparov further remarked, “I have to apologise time and again… this is not exactly the title that I had or Karpov had or Fischer had or Magnus had.”

Susan Polgar defends Gukesh’s triumph

In response to Kasparov’s comments, former women’s world champion Susan Polgar came to Gukesh’s defence on X (formerly Twitter). She called him a “deserving World Classical Champion, period!” emphasising that he became champion at 18 after conquering the intense FIDE Candidates Tournament, surpassing luminaries like Caruana, Nakamura, Nepomniachtchi, Firouzja, and Praggnanandhaa. Polgar underscored that it was not Gukesh’s fault Carlsen withdrew, and argued against delegitimising his title simply because he did not defeat Carlsen—a logic she said would also apply to post-Fischer champions

Context: Gukesh’s landmark achievement

• Gukesh became the youngest undisputed world champion at age 18, ending Garry Kasparov’s record from 1985

Conclusion

Kasparov’s remarks reflect a broader debate over the evolving prestige of world championship titles amid changing formats and player participation. Yet, Polgar’s rebuttal offers a compelling defence of Gukesh’s achievement, underlining the merit, discipline, and grit it took for the Indian prodigy to scale the highest summit in classical chess at such a young age.