Chess World Championship: Gukesh looks tense but hyper-focused, Ding Liren nervous, says Grandmaster Anish Giri

The ongoing Sinquefield Cup in St Louis has given the world a chance to observe both Ding Liren and Gukesh compete in the classical format before their much-anticipated clash in Singapore with the world champion’s crown on the line.

Ever since he became world champion, there has been plenty of chatter about the shape that world champion Ding Liren is in, both physically and mentally. Not just the one-on-one clash between Gukesh and Ding, the rest of the tournament too has piqued interest among fans and players to get a sense of the level both players are at. Grandmaster Anish Giri, who is also competing at the event and has had a chance to see both players up close, gave an insight.

“Gukesh has been looking, for many months now, extremely tense and extremely focused. Hyper-focused! I was reaching that stage as a kid at some point as well. But I felt that this hyper-focus is too much. I felt like you’re risking burning yourself out if you’re that way. Maybe, I’m wrong. Maybe, Gukesh can handle it. Maybe, that’s what he needs to become world champion. Gukesh looks fit, he’s playing quite well, not without mistakes. I believe he has all the chances (of becoming World Champion),” Anish told The Indian Express from St Louis.

Talking about Gukesh’s opponent in the World Championship, Anish said: “What surprises me about Ding is that his level of play is actually quite high at the moment in this tournament (Sinquefield Cup). But you do still see that his physical condition is not top notch. I can see it, you can hear it in the way he sits at the board: he starts to move a little bit on the chair. You see it in the way he breathes or coughs: he coughs in a way that you realise that it’s not that he’s got a cold, but it’s a nervous cough. You can see how nervous and anxious he is. He’s sometimes shaking a little bit,” Anish observes.

“It’s just these incredible physiological signs of weakness. It’s quite intuitive, the science when people look very nervous and can’t fully control themselves. If you see it from up close, you’ll definitely notice it. Even if you’re playing on some other board, you keep hearing some coughs every now and then just notice that there’s a person in the room who is very nervous. Yet, he’s able to improve his chess level.”

Try to be calm

Gukesh’s immense concentration could be a double-edged sword, Anish felt.

“Gukesh being hyper-focused could be an issue because maybe at some point, he will be upset or angry if he loses,” said the Dutchman, who will be in action in the second edition of the Global Chess League for the PBG Alaskan Knights franchise.

Ahead of the final round to be played on Wednesday night, Gukesh was tied third with four other players including R Praggnanandhaa. Ding, meanwhile, is tied eight while Anish is last in the 10-player field.

As someone who has played in the Candidates before, Anish knows a thing or two about how difficult it is to win the event and qualify for the World Championship. For Gukesh to become the youngest player to win the Candidates at the age of 17, that too in his first try, is particularly commendable, says Anish.

“Very few players have won the Candidates on their first try. We’ve had a lot of these preconceived notions where we thought this is how it should go. To win an event of this sort, one has to truly believe that you can. I believe Gukesh did! He’s very fortunate with his style in terms of it being very unstable. It means that he can peak very high and he did it at the right moment (the Candidates). The fact that he was off form for half a year before (the Candidates) is irrelevant. It matters what your peak is, and that you achieve the peak at the highest stage.

“That’s also a quality of an exceptional player, exceptional champion, that you are able to bring your best game when it matters. I believe there are two types of players: those who perform worse and those who perform better at the highest stage. And if you are that second type who performs better at high-stakes events like Gukesh, you are very likely to become a champion.”

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