‘I see an unjust personal attack by some players, probably due to sheer jealousy.’
IMAGE: D Gukesh shakes hands with Yagiz Khan Erdogmus of Turkey at the FIDE Grand Swiss tournament in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, September 5, 2025. Photograph: Kind courtesy Michał Walusza/FIDE/X
Are there any chess moves that can be termed as anti-youngster and that too at the top level of the sport?
Or is it part of a pattern to deride 19-year old World Champion Grandmaster D Gukesh’s achievement?
The point pops up after English International Master Jovanka Houska, a commentator on FIDE’s YouTube channel, termed Gukesh’s (ELO Rating 2,767) third move against 14-year-old Turkish GM Yagız Kaan Erdogmus (Rating 2,646) at the ongoing FIDE Grand Swiss tournament in Uzbekistan as ‘anti-youngster’.
In the second round playing white Gukesh opened with d4 and Erdogmus with d5. Gukesh played c3 prompting Houska to term it as ‘anti-youngster’. Laughing, she went on to state that Gukesh perhaps wanted to avoid the mainline moves and steer the game in lines that are non-committal.
Outwardly while Houska’s ‘anti-youngster’ comment seems to be harmless, given the earlier comments by some GMs including former World Champion Garry Kasparov against Gukesh, the question that arises is it part of a pattern to diminish Gukesh’s world title win at age 18?
During the 2025 Sinquefield Cup Kasparov joined the commentators over video as a guest.
When the commentator asked about Gukesh and his views about the ‘very useful World Champion Gukesh’ Kasparov said the Indian won the world title fair and square.
Continuing, Kasparov said Gukesh is not the strongest player in the world and Magnus Carlsen ended the era of classical world titles.
Kasparov said Gukesh is yet to prove himself over others and even against players his age.
According to Kasparov, the current world chess title is not the one he, Bobby Fischer, Anatoly Karpov or Carlsen had held.
Kasparov omitted to mention the name of five time World Champion GM Viswananthan Anand from India!
Gukesh’s accomplishments outshine many other former world champions, A K Raizada, secretary, UP Chess Sports Association and a former national chess player, had told this correspondent.
“A comparison between Gukesh and any former World Champion is meaningful only when their achievements at the age of 18 are considered. By that measure, Gukesh is approximately 5 years ahead of others,” Raizada said.
According to Raizada, Gukesh became the World Champion at 18 while Bobby Fischer achieved that at age 29, Karpov at 24, Kasparov at 22, Anand at 31, Carlsen at 23 and Ding Liren when he was 31.
‘It was not his (Gukesh’s) fault that Magnus Carlsen walked away from his title,’ former Women’s World Champion Susan Polgar recently tweeted. ‘If we, as a chess community, delegitimise his title because he did not beat Carlsen, then we need to do the same for World Champions after Bobby Fischer since he also walked away from his title! We cannot have different standards for players we like or dislike.’
Ever since Gukesh won the world title last year, some top players have been commenting against India’s feat.
Former World Champion Vladimir Kramnik had said ‘end of chess as we know it’, questioning the quality of games played by Gukesh and China’s Ding Liren.
Carlsen prior to a tournament said he would treat games against Gukesh as if he were playing a weaker player.
In June this year Carlsen banged the playing table while the game was on against Gukesh at Norway Chess, which he lost.
The latest is Houska’s ‘anti-youngster move’ comment.
There is also a view that the attack on Gukesh’s world title is an indirect attack on the world chess body FIDE’s World Championship while promoting a global private championship.
When asked about Houska’s comment, a senior FIDE official told this correspondent: “I see nothing anti-Gukesh in these comments.”
IMAGE: D Gukesh is jubilant after becoming the youngest World Chess Champion. Photograph: Kind courtesy International Chess Federation/X
“It is certainly a rude remark,” International Arbiter R R Vasudevan said. “It is an uncharitable comment on Gukesh which is not expected from an experienced person. And that too on the FIDE platform.”
Perhaps Western players are unable to digest a brown coloured World Chess Champion, Vasudevan said.
“Carlsen himself had played ‘f3’ as the first move against another top player Wesley So at the 2020 Banter Blitz Series. Carlsen won the game. If Carlsen or Kasparov does it, then the world calls it an unorthodox move. But when an Indian World Champion does it, it is called an anti-youngster move and not a game strategy,” Vasudevan added.
Kasparov had also played an unorthodox move against Karpov in their 12th game at the 1985 World Championship match, Vasudevan recalled.
“Jovanka Houska was a child prodigy herself. She defeated Dibyendu Barua when she was 16 or so,” GM Pravin M Thipsay said. “Then she was one of the strongest women players in England. So I am sure that she doesn’t intend any disrespect or insult by her ‘anti-youngster’ remark.”
“It in fact suggests a strategy to beat youngsters who try to win on the strength of opening preparation alone. It is common that the youngsters with lesser titles and ratings are better motivated than the established players and therefore trying to take someone ‘out of preparation’ is very natural and common,” Thipsay explained.
“Perhaps the freedom of speech or expression is better understood in developed countries than developing ones. I mean, in our country comment like xyz is a bad actor can be digested easily, but not xyz is a bad player. That is how we ‘react’ to other people’s opinions when their opinions do not match with ours,” Thipsay said and added that he has no reason to defend Houska.
When pointed out the comments against Gukesh by some top chess players Thipsay said: “It is not a psychological attack on Gukesh. But certainly I see an unjust personal attack by some players, probably due to sheer jealousy.”
Venkatachari Jagannathan can be reached at venkatacharijagannathan@gmail.com
Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff
