Sports News | Mistakes Happen in Sports: FIDE Chief on Criticism About Quality of WC Match
Get latest articles and stories on Sports at LatestLY. International Chess Federation (FIDE) President Arkady Dvorkovich on Friday said mistakes by players make the sport exciting, downplaying the criticism around the quality of just-concluded World Championship match between India's D Gukesh and China's Ding Liren.
Singapore, Dec 13 (PTI) International Chess Federation (FIDE) President Arkady Dvorkovich on Friday said mistakes by players make the sport exciting, downplaying the criticism around the quality of just-concluded World Championship match between India's D Gukesh and China's Ding Liren.
The 18-year-old Gukesh made history by becoming the youngest player to win the world title.
Former world champion Vladimir Kramnik was not impressed with the quality of chess on display during the match, calling it the "end of chess as we know it."
Kramnik expressed his frustration over the game's quality, calling a critical blunder by Ding Liren "childish".
Also Read | NBA's ‘Commitment To Constant Innovation’ In Covid Chaos Led To The Birth Of In-Season Tournament.
"Sports is about mistakes, without mistakes, there would be no goals in football. Every sportsman makes mistakes but that's what we are excited about, whether the opponent can find the way to use a mistake," Dvorkovich said during the closing ceremony of the championship.
He congratulated Gukesh and Liren for their performance in the showpiece.
In his reaction, Kramnik wrote on 'X', "No comment. Sad. End of chess as we know it. Never yet has a WC title been decided by such a childish one-move blunder."
Five-time world champion, Norway's Magnus Carlsen too has been critical of the quality on display in earlier rounds, saying, "This does not look like a game between two World Championship contenders. It just looks like maybe the second round or third round of an open tournament."
However, legendary chess player and five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand advised Gukesh to ignore those questioning the standard of the World Championship title showdown, saying criticism always comes with success.
"I feel very happy. I was literally watching history being made yesterday," Anand told PTI Videos.
"It (criticism) comes with every match. To be honest, I think it just comes with the territory. You ignore it and that's all."
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)