Former world chess champion Anatoly Karpov said India's 19-year-old Grandmaster Gukesh D became world champion "by chance", as he "wasn’t supposed" to win the match against Chinese Grandmaster Ding Liren. "[Liren] lost a game he shouldn't have. Had he not, he would have remained world champion," the 74-year-old added. At 18, Gukesh became the youngest-ever world champion in December 2024.