D Gukesh looks to end Magnus Carlsen's record reign as World No. 1

The dream of any professional chess player is to become the world No. 1, and D Gukesh is also aiming to achieve that.

Currently ranked 10th in the FIDE rankings, reigning World Champion D Gukesh experienced a topsy-turvy 2025 campaign. Gukesh saw his pedigree rise after beating Ding Liren at the World C'ships last year, as he reached a career-best world No. 3 position in February this year. However, since then, it has gone downhill for the Indian GM, except for a few flashes of brilliance, such as his wins against Magnus Carlsen.

The dream of any professional chess player is to become the world No. 1, and Gukesh is also aiming to achieve that. Carlsen is currently the world's No. 1 and has held that position for over 14 years.

The Indian GM was recently asked about his aim to be the 'world No. 1' in the FIDE rankings by a fan on X.

He replied, "I know I will give my absolute best for it but whether or not it happens I would be happy with the effort I put in."

Meanwhile, Gukesh also wants to face countryman R Praggnanandhaa at the World C'ships next, but he needs to first win the Candidates 2026 tournament. Praggnanandhaa won the FIDE Circuit 2025 to book a berth in the 2026 Candidates.

Qualification for the Candidates 2026 has also seen some controversy, due to Hikaru Nakamura. FIDE had reserved a Candidates berth for the highest-rated player, and Magnus Carlsen already publicly stated that he would not participate.

After Carlsen, Nakamura is the next highest-rated player, but he also had to meet FIDE's 40-game eligibility tournament. The American GM met the requirement by taking part in a series of smaller tournaments across North America.

Carlsen recently slammed FIDE for the rule. Speaking on the sidelines of Freestyle Chess in South Africa, he said, “It's insane, why would you require somebody who's very clearly good enough to play in the Candidates, why would you require him to play these tournaments which he doesn't really have time for? Well, you want to have the best players in the Candidates and he's clearly one of them.”

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Source: HindustanTimes
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