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Gukesh's Title Defense: Sasikiran Urges Faster Play
23 Jun
Summary
- Grandmaster Sasikiran advises Gukesh to speed up calculations.
- Gukesh's unconventional play creates chaos but leads to time trouble.
- Uzbekistan's Sindarov is well-prepared and relies on fast play.
World champion D Gukesh is gearing up for his title defense against Uzbekistan's Javokhir Sindarov. Grandmaster Krishnan Sasikiran believes Gukesh needs to enhance his calculation speed to prevent falling into time trouble, a recurring issue due to his unconventional, chaotic play.
Sasikiran, a former second to Viswanathan Anand, emphasized the critical role of strong preparation and memorization at the elite chess level. Gukesh's performance since winning the world title has been inconsistent, with challenges in classical tournaments.
He advised Gukesh to focus on exploiting opponents' weaknesses and closely studying Sindarov, who is described as deeply prepared and reliant on fast, memory-intensive play. This suggests a demanding championship match.
Gukesh must also improve his technical game and conversion of winning positions. Despite the challenges, Sasikiran noted that Gukesh's prior world championship match experience provides an edge, although the challenger's momentum is also a factor. Preparations, including opening choices, are reportedly underway.
