Former world chess champion Vladimir Kramnik has launched a scathing attack on the outcome of the World Chess Championship, following 18-year-old D Gukesh’s historic victory over defending champion Ding Liren in the 14th game. Gukesh’s triumph not only earned him the title of world champion but also made him the youngest player in history to do so, surpassing Garry Kasparov’s record from 1985.
However, Kramnik, known for his critical views, was far from impressed by the manner in which the championship was decided, particularly by the blunder that cost Ding the title.
After Gukesh secured the victory with a final score of 7.5-6.5, Kramnik expressed his dismay on social media, calling it “the End of chess as we know it.”
Kramnik went further, describing Ding’s mistake as “childish,” and stated, “Never yet WC title was decided by childish one move blunder.”
The blunder, which occurred in the final game after five hours of play, proved to be decisive, costing Ding both the match and his World Championship title.
Kramnik’s remarks were not limited to Game 14 alone. Earlier in the championship, he had voiced his concerns about the overall quality of play between the two contenders.
After Game 6, he lamented, “Frankly, I am very disappointed by today’s game. Even Game 5 was not extremely high level, but today it was really — for a professional — it was really weak play from both players. It’s a very disappointing level.”
Kramnik criticized both players for what he saw as a lack of understanding of basic strategic concepts, saying, “It’s such a strange game. Both players were making mistake after mistake, strategical mistakes. As if they don’t get the sense of the position.” His frustration continued, stating, “Maybe I’m old-school but it’s pretty basic! Of course, they’re both great players and great calculators. They calculate fantastically.”
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