'I like to be challenged by the strongest players on the planet, even though it's going to get more difficult with this young Indian generation coming up. But I am not entirely depressed.'
Hungarian Grandmaster Richard Rapport, who was one among the two players to manage a draw against an unstoppable D Gukesh in the Chess Olympiad, is in awe of India's phenomenal rise in the sport but still wouldn't declare the teenager an outright favourite for the world crown.
The reason being that the eagerly-awaited showdown in November-December is a "different" level in the difficulty meter and Gukesh will have an experienced rival in Ding Liren to counter at the showpiece.
For now, the 18-year-old is celebrating India's maiden Olympiad gold in Budapest where he was the star of the campaign -- Gukesh was unbeaten through the event with eight wins and two draws.
Rapport was the first to hold Gukesh during a seemingly invincible run and speaking to PTI, the 28-year-old lauded the youngest ever challenger to the world title. The two are likely to face off once against next month during the Global Chess League (GCL) in London.
Rapport had beaten Gukesh when the two got a game against each other in the inaugural season of the event last year.
"When I played him in GCL last season, he was a different player, may be not a different player but in different form. I didn't play a particularly interesting game against him in the Olympiad. I played a very straight game," said Rapport, who became Hungary's youngest GM when he achieved the title at 13 years of age after taking up chess to improve his grades in mathematics.
"I didn't really push him to his limits (in the Olympiad) but others have done that and he stood his ground. That's super impressive. I am very much looking forward to playing him (in GCL).
"I like to be challenged by the strongest players on the planet, even though it's going to get more difficult with this young Indian generation coming up. But I am not entirely depressed," he quipped.
Gukesh and Rapport clashed in the sixth round of the Olympiad and signed peace after 44 moves. Uzbekistan's Abdusattorov Nodirbek was the only other player to clinch half a point against Gukesh.
Like the rest of the chess world, Rapport too is looking forward to the World Championships. He was Liren's second when the Chinese GM won the crown last year by beating Russia's Ian Nepomniachtchi.
The Hungarian believes it won't be easy for Gukesh to claim the title in November 20 to December 15 clash due to Liren's wealth of experience.
"...if you look at the last event (the Olympiad), Gukesh is supposed to be favourite but that match is very different and Ding has experience, and I think may be there would a new champion. But I would not put the numbers in favour of anybody. It's way too difficult than any tournament ever.
"Experience is a huge advantage for anyone. I expect a very close (match) and I expect a big fight. I hope to see some good ideas, worthy of a world championship, which I think the last match definitely delivered," he said.
Coming back to the Olympiad and Rapport said he was also impressed with the performance of the Indian women's team, which too won gold to make it a clean sweep.
"The ladies team was actually surprising. We are all focussing on the Open team but in that team you had two players (Gukesh and Arjun Erigaisi) who were playing just unbelievably. If you have (even) one player, you have a very good chance of winning a tournament but you had two," he pointed out.
"But in the ladies team, it was very tight competition. They stood their ground and played really well, that's really impressive. I mean, look at Kazakhstan, they had a very strong ladies team but, I don't want to insult anyone, an unremarkable team in the men's section. I mean decent players but not top players," he said.
"...(but) your country is up there when it comes to chess."
Rapport, who switched allegiance to Romania for a couple of years as he felt ignored by his country of birth, returned to Hungary's fold before the Olympiad after being made to feel "looked after" by the national chess body.
At the GCL, he will have Norwegian maverick Magnus Carlsen and Indian wizard R Praggnanandhaa among others as his teammates in Alpine SG Pipers.
"For me, if I was not playing, this league would be something that I would be watching. In a way it kind of succeeded in that regard," he said of the league that starts on October 3.
