Garry Kasparaov Doesn't See Gukesh-Liren Contest As World Championship Match

Russian chess legend Garry Kasparov doesn't consider upcoming World Championship match between India's D Gukesh and China's Ding Liren as a contest between world's top two players in absence of five-time champion Magnus Carlsen.

Kasparov believes with Carlsen, who hails from Norway, opting out of defending his title last year, long line of world champions has come to an end.

"My hottest take is that I don't treat this as a World Championship match. For me, a World Championship match was always a match for title of best player in world," Kasparov said on a YouTube show for St Louis Chess Club.

"I think history of World Championship matches started here in St Louis when Steinitz faced Zukertort (when Wilhelm Steinitz faced Johannes Zukertort in 1886 World Chess Championship match) and ended with Magnus Carlsen.

"re were 16 World Champions. You could call m, at every given moment, best players in world. y took title by beating best players (in world at that time)," Kasparov ded.

Kasparov, however, feels Gukesh is clear favourite going into contest.

"With all due respect, Ding Liren playing Gukesh is an important event. It's a FIDE event. I think Gukesh is favourite, because way Ding Liren has been playing lately, it's kind of a show of old Ding Liren we all remember.

"If he can recover miraculously, n it will be an interesting fight. But, in any case, it's an event that has nothing to do with main idea of World Championship match, to decide, to find best player on planet," he said.

Kasparov, who held record for being youngest world championship contender before Gukesh broke record as a 17-year-old by winning this year's Candidates tournament, supported Carlsen's decision to forfeit his title.

"se days, with chess getting faster and faster, with our lives getting faster, to keep an antiquated system of qualification that takes 18 months or longer to select a challenger, it's not equate.

"I think Magnus' decision, though probably I would have acted differently was correct one. You can see that he's enjoying himself now. He's playing better chess than before. It's a tough decision that he has me," Russian legend said.