Grandmaster Nodirbek Abdusattorov of Uzbekistan recently made waves for his shocking remarks on Dommaraju Gukesh, the current world champion. He predicted that the 19-year-old Indian GM's reign would end when he defends his title the next year.
“Gukesh will lose his title in the next match. Is that controversial?” Nodirbek said when asked to express an unpopular chess opinion in the lead-up to the FIDE Grand Swiss in Samarkand.
His remarks, which have caused a stir in the chess community, were eventually brought to the attention of Indian chess icon Viswanathan Anand, a five-time world champion who has also coached Gukesh and other elite players.
However, Anand decided to downplay the statement by calling it "good fun."
“Yes, I am aware of it. It’s been suggested to me a lot. It keeps popping up on all my feeds. Respect to these boys. They know how to make content,” Anand said while taking a jibe on GM Sahaj Grover and National Master Sahil Tickoo during the live broadcast of the first round of the FIDE Grand Swiss on Chess.com India.
“No it’s good fun. That’s how the game is played these days,” added the former world number one, who in 1988 was crowned India's first Grandmaster.
Anand is not the only person who has responded to Nodirbek's widely shared statement. Gukesh, who was the target of the "unpopular opinion" in the first place, gave a classy response.
“I mean, first of all, obviously, Nodirbek Abdusattorov is a great player and he’s very much capable, but (at this) the tournament he can only qualify for the Candidates, so it’s one more step to become world champion,” said Gukesh, who last year became the youngest world chess champion.
“But whoever it is like, I am sure you know deserves to be there and is very much capable of playing well. I am not really rooting for anybody, I just do my part as a researcher,” he added.
Gukesh is participating in the competition solely to establish himself "in a different format," while Nodirbek is vying for a spot in the Candidates competition the next year against players like Ian Nepomniachtchi, Arjun Erigaisi, Alireza Firouzja, and R Praggnanandhaa, among others.
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