Bengaluru: How does a generation of players cope with the consummate, otherworldly skill and success of one or a few? In tennis, the triumvirate of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic swept up everything between them. Chiefly, 66 Grand Slams.
“Magnus (Carlsen) did something of that sort in chess,” Grandmaster Levon Aronian told HT, referring to the five-time world champion who held a decade-long stranglehold on the title from 2013 to 2023. “There were many deserving players. Fabiano (Caruana) is one of them. In many ways, I suppose I could count myself too. But Magnus was one-of-a-kind. He was just that good.”
The Armenian-American, now 43, is a former world No. 2 who reached a peak rating of 2830 and has played in nearly half a dozen Candidates tournaments. The 2013 Candidates tournament – which featured Carlsen and Aronian as favourites – saw the Norwegian wunderkind win and qualify for the World Championship, kickstarting his dominant reign.
“I never suffered from too much respect for Carlsen,” said Aronian, “On the contrary, I perhaps suffered from too little respect. For Hikaru (Nakamura), it was definitely a problem because Magnus had a tremendous score against him. It was Fabiano and I who were fighting Magnus, trying to beat him. Even if I ended up winning the Candidates and the world title, I don’t think I would have been a dominant champion, like Magnus. It’s just not my personality. Fabiano though is consistent and the kind of player who could have remained champion for long, if Magnus wasn’t playing.”
Three years ago, Carlsen chose to relinquish his title, and since then chess has seen the emergence of two classical world champions – Ding Liren and Gukesh Dommaraju. The battle to pick the challenger to reigning world champion Gukesh heats up with the Candidates starting this weekend. Carlsen, happy to stay away from the race for the title, picked the “old Americans” – Nakamura and Caruana – as the favourites this time. Aronian wholeheartedly agrees with the pick, placing Fabiano as the best bet. Ranked No. 2 and No. 3 in the world respectively, and aged 38 and 33, both spent much of their careers striving to measure up to Carlsen, whose consistency was peerless and dominance, absolute.
Then there’s Anish Giri – 31, talented, excellent theoretician, elite player for over a decade, yet with not enough major tournament victories to show for his potential. “When anyone calls Anish a boring player, it’s only because they don’t understand his creativity,” said Aronian, “He has a very scientific mind and can definitely surprise everyone and win an event like this.”
“Fabi, Hikaru, Anish – you know, this has got to be their time,” five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand told Fide, “They will have that feeling going in, that this a chance to grab.”
Among those competing in this year’s Candidates, Caruana is the only player who came within a whisper of the world title. He won the 2018 Candidates and famously went blow for blow against Carlsen in their World Championship match in London for three weeks and 12 classical games – all of them ending in draws. Carlsen wrested the title in the rapid tiebreaks that followed. “The result shows that he is the strongest player in the world and he’s the world champion, so it’s fitting,” a gutted Caruana offered moments later.
He hasn’t won the Candidates since.
The most experienced player at this year’s tournament, Caruana, must feel like he’s in with a real chance. He’s the outright favourite on sheer strength and pedigree. With no Carlsen – who’s been an unstoppable force and immovable object rolled into one in World Championship matches – waiting at the other end, the end goal might seem more attainable.
“I suppose these players understand that this is a chance to walk into history, because the possibility of beating Gukesh is considered to be much higher than the one of beating Magnus,” Aronian said.
Since he became world champion, Gukesh has struggled with his form and results. Two years ago, his Candidates win at 17 had blindsided the old guard – who were perhaps certain that it was going to be one of them. A bit like Carlos Alcaraz and Janik Sinner flipping the script, refusing to wait their turn and winning all Grand Slams between them in the last two years. This Candidates features two ambitious 20-year-olds – R Praggnanandhaa and Javokhir Sindarov, with the former regarded as the more serious contender, capable of upending the field.
Aronian though has little doubt about where his loyalties lie.
“I’m going to be rooting for Fabi and Hikaru… I’d like to see someone from that generation win. It’s about time.”
