Gukesh: My Olympiad performance a confidence booster ahead of World title match

At the Chess Olympiad in Budapest, potentially the biggest game never took place.

China did not field Ding Liren on the top board against India, and that meant there would be no trailer for the World title match with D. Gukesh, starting on November 23 in Singapore.

The 18-year-old from Chennai has no regrets about it, though.

“On the rest day before the match against China, we thought it was very likely Ding would play, but there was also a slight chance that he might not want to because he had lost the previous round, and I was ready for both scenarios,” said Gukesh during an online interaction on Wednesday. “It was not a huge surprise when he decided to rest for that game. We have played in the Sinquefield Cup, so we have got a bit of a teaser before the World.”

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Gukesh said he was not feeling any additional pressure of being viewed as the favourite against the World champion. “The pressure is about just playing in the World championship,” he said. “For me, it’s just a match against a very strong player. And I’m sure Ding will be coming to the match with the right spirit and he will be trying his best. My approach is to treat every game with the utmost respect and energy and give it my best.”

He admitted his exceptional performance at the Olympiad – he won the individual gold, for the second time in a row, in fact – boosted his confidence ahead of the World title match. He had played a major role in the Indian men’s team dominating the event completely.

“It was surely a very special performance for me personally,” Gukesh said. “I am very glad with how I played and how I handled different situations in the Olympiad.”