Daniil Dubov was Magnus Carslen’s second for the World chess championship twice. So he has watched from the closest of quarters how a World title match takes shape.
Dubov, a former World rapid chess champion, believes, like most people, that D. Gukesh starts as the favourite in the match against Ding Liren, starting in Singapore on November 25. “I think Gukesh is the favourite but not to the extent many people seem to believe,” the Russian Grandmaster told The Hindu in Kolkata, where he competed in the Tata Steel Chess India tournament.
“I want to see them fight and don’t want a match that gets over with three or four games to finish.”
He feels it is remarkable that Gukesh is contesting the World title when he is just 18. “When Gukesh is at his best, he only plays the best moves, just like a chess engine,” says Dubov. “He plays the way that is sort of difficult to explain. There is seemingly no basic idea behind them, but they are all the best. And that is the feeling that you normally get from an engine.”
Looking back at his experience of working as a second – a kind of sparring partner who brings inputs for the match – Dubov said he was glad that he got an opportunity to work with Carslen, one of the all-time greats in chess. “Magnus had a team of, like, four to five people, and we would basically have to prepare some opening ideas,” he says. “I was one of the people responsible for making his openings better. Apparently I was doing my job well, as I was invited the second time. I took up the offer to work with Carlsen because I thought I could learn from his game, and I did.”
He, however, feels the importance of a second in a World title match is becoming less because of chess engines. “When I worked for Magnus, especially for the first time, it used to be completely different,” he says. “You could analyse a certain position for, like, two weeks, and still you wouldn’t be sure if it is good or bad for you.”
Dubov has enjoyed playing in India. “Chess in India now reminds me of the old saying about the former Soviet Union — Every random guy plays better than you when you come to the USSR,” he says. “Now it is the same with India.”
Published – November 19, 2024 08:32 pm IST
