In the recent World Chess Championship final held in Singapore, there was a lot of talk about the quality of play between D Gukesh from India and Ding Liren from China. After the match, FIDE president Arkady Dvorkovich spoke out about the criticism. He pointed out that mistakes happen in all sports, even at the highest levels, and that we shouldn’t blame top players for making errors under pressure.
In the last game, defending champion Ding Liren made a big mistake that allowed the 18-year-old Gukesh to win, making him the youngest world champion ever. Some former world champions were not happy about the game. Vladimir Kramnik said Ding’s mistake was “childish” and even hinted that it seemed deliberate, calling for an investigation.
Dvorkovich defended both players during the closing ceremony, saying, “Sports are about mistakes. Without them, there wouldn’t be exciting moments.” He congratulated both Gukesh and Liren for their performances.
Kramnik said this match marked the “end of chess as we know it,” and expressed disappointment, saying no championship had ended due to such a silly mistake before.
Magnus Carlsen, another former champion, also criticized the quality of the earlier games, suggesting they looked more like the early rounds of a regular tournament than a championship battle. However, five-time champion Viswanathan Anand encouraged Gukesh to focus on his victory and ignore the critics, saying such comments always come with success. “I was happy to watch history being made,” Anand shared.
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