Why Kramnik called Gukesh vs Ding World Championship final ‘the end of chess as we know it’

Former world champion Vladimir Kramnik was left unimpressed by the quality of chess on show at the World Championship final in Singapore between D Gukesh and Ding Liren. The Russian grandmaster went as far as calling the final ‘the end of chess as we know it.’

Gukesh beat Ding to become the youngest World Champion in chess at the age of 18. He beat the Chinese GM in the 14th and last game *in what was a showdown that went down to the wire.

Kramnik, reacting to the final and the result, called the blunder by Ding ‘childish.’

Posting on his ‘X’ account, Kramnik doubled down and called the quality of play ‘weak.;’

“Frankly, I am very disappointed by today’s game (Game 6). 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,” he had said.

Kramnik became the classical world chess champion and reigned from 2000 to 2006. In 2000, the Russian beat compatriot Garry Kasparov to earn the world crown.

Kasparov became the youngest world champion at the age of 22, replacing Anatoly Karpov who for long was the youngest.

Gukesh beat Kasparov’s record of 22 years, six months and 27 days.

Gukesh had entered the match as the youngest ever challenger to the world crown after winning the Candidates tournament earlier this year.

He is the second Indian after the great Viswanathan Anand to win the global title. Anand, a five-time world champion, had last held the title in 2013 before going down to Magnus Carlsen.