KASPAR~1.

The build-up to the next Men's Chess World Championship is already heating up. The candidates' tournament, which will decide the next challenger, is around the corner. But even before that begins, the West still seems stuck on the last world championship. This time, it's none other than Garry Kasparov, a chess legend himself, taking aim at India's world champion D. Gukesh. You can hardly call Gukesh the strongest player in the world. I think Magnus ended the era of classical world champions. It's still clear that Magnus is the strongest, and Gukesh is yet to prove his superiority over other, even players of his age category. Now let's get this straight. Ever since Gukesh won the candidates last year, he has been unstoppable. Youngest ever candidates winner, youngest ever world champion, took India to Olympiad gold, and yes, he has even beaten the likes of Magnus Carlsen and other strong players. But what all of this has also done is unite the West in one goal, target Gukesh and question India's rise. And while rival players doing it is understandable, they're competitors after all, hearing it from Garry Kasparov is something else. Because Kasparov has always praised Indian chess revolution. He was the first to applaud India's double gold at the Olympiad. So why this and why now? Look, nobody is saying Gukesh is the undisputed king yet. He's still young and he still has a long way to go. But let's not forget he became world champion fair and square. He qualified, he fought, he beat Ding Lijian. Nobody handed him any free pass, nobody gifted him the crown. He won it. Susan Polger nails it in her response to this. Look, chess has become obsessed with one player, Magnus Carlsen. And in that obsession, everyone else gets delegitimized. Carlsen is undoubtedly one of the greatest. But does that mean the sport starts and ends with only him? No, he chose not to defend his title. Just like every sport, chess is in a transition phase. And remember, Kasparov only came after Bobby Fischer. That didn't make Fischer any less of a legend. And it is not like Kasparov was the last. We got Vishwanathan Armand after, then came Magnus Carlsen. And through all the noise, guess who doesn't care? Gukesh himself. Because for him, it has always been about the love he has for the sport. In my first academy, I went to my trainer's house at around 10 am in the morning. And then I returned home around 11 pm. I was just obsessed with chess. I didn't really care about anything else. What the West is failing to understand is that they are targeting a player who is earning his respect and not demanding for it. For him, it is the passion for the sport and nothing else that really comes. And here's the bottom line. If anyone questions his legitimacy, there's only one way of answering it. Beating that person. If Hikaru Nakamura, Ali Riza, Firuja or anyone else qualifies for the World Championship, take him down. Because until that happens, all these words from the West sound less like analysis and more like excuses. Gukesh has already made history. And every game he plays now is not just about him. It's about India's rise, about the sport moving forward and about silencing the old guard who still seemed to be stuck in the past. First post now available in 9 languages on YouTube. English French German Hindi Indonesian Italian Japanese Portuguese Spanish Go to settings. Click on audio track and select the language of your choice. Be the first to know what's happening around you in your first language. First post.