Ding Liren on D Gukesh in Firstpost Exclusive: 'He is the guy to watch'

Ding Liren will put his World Championship title on the line against India’s D Gukesh later in the year. The Chinese Grandmaster, who is at the bottom of the standings at the ongoing Norway Chess tournament, had clinched the title last year. Gukesh, meanwhile, emerged as the surprise contender when he won the Candidates Chess tournament in April.

18-year-old Gukesh’s shock win in Toronto has upped the excitement level in India with the sport seeing an uptick in interest. It has been helped by the surge of young chess players like R Praggnanandhaa, Vidit Gujrathi and R Vaishali.

The interest is enough that Delhi and Chennai have reportedly put their candidature to host the World Championship match. Singapore, too, is reportedly in the running.

However, the Chinese Grandmaster would prefer to play the World Championship Final in Singapore and not in India. “If I can choose, I hope the World Championship happens in Singapore. I am not so eager to visit India for the championship final. People will support Gukesh if I play in India,” said Liren.

He also shared his thoughts about Gukesh’s game and added, “Gukesh has had a phenomenal rise to the top. I am looking forward to meeting him at the end of the year. He (Gukesh) is a strong opponent. He has performed really well. He is a guy to watch.”

Speaking about the young Indian Chess players, Liren said, “There are so many young talents in India. They are among the world’s top ten. I have a lot of plans in India.”

The Chinese Grandmaster named Magnus Carlsen as the toughest opponent he’s faced and labelled him as the “G.O.A.T. of chess.”

In the interview, Liren also spoke about his ongoing performance at the Norway Chess tournament, battle with mental health and the need to take time out.