'Gukesh just doesn’t make mistakes': Indian Grandmaster Pravin Thipsay

India GMs Pravin Thipsay (left) and Abhijit Kunte (right) with journalist Amit Kamath during a SJAM-organised panel discussion at the MIG Cricket Club in Bandra yesterday. Pic/Syed Sameer Abedi

India's D Gukesh is just a teenager, 18, while his FIDE World Chess Championship opponent Liren Ding is 32. But when it comes to maturity, the Indian leaves his Chinese opponent far behind, said Indian Grandmaster Pravin Thipsay during a symposium organised by the Sports Journalists' Association of Mumbai (SJAM) at the MIG Cricket Club, Bandra (East), yesterday.

"I've watched Gukesh closely and it amazes me that he just doesn't make any mistakes at all. He may be young, but his maturity and accuracy level is like that of a CEO or a Chairman of a multi-national corporation," said Thipsay.

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Singapore's Resorts World Sentosa will play host to the 2024 World Chess Championship match between November 25 and December 13, and Grandmaster Abhijit Kunte has not doubt that the Indian will reign supreme in the best-of-14-games encounter. "Gukesh will win the world title by Round 12," said Kunte, going on to add: "When Gukesh became a Grandmaster at the age of 12, not many know this, but he achieved it after playing 280 games within a span of one-and-a-half year. That's just phenomenal."