Earned, Not Handed: The Madness of Calling Gukesh an "Unworthy" Champion

by Padmaraj R - 03/07/2026

Every champion is judged. D. Gukesh has been questioned relentlessly after becoming World Champion. But does a dip in form erase what he achieved when the stakes were at their highest? Drawing parallels from various sports, this article challenges the notion of an "unworthy" champion. Every sport has seen champions whose victories were questioned. Read the full article for the complete perspective.

Note: This article is an opinion piece and reflects the personal views of the author.

Judging a Champion

Having followed cricket and tennis closely for more than thirty years, I never expected my first sports article to be about chess. Yet, here I am, completely hooked. Like many, I was pulled into the game around 2023, captivated by the meteoric rise of young Indian prodigies like Praggnanandhaa, Arjun Erigaisi, and D. Gukesh. Lately, I have found myself focusing on the intense debate surrounding Gukesh and his status as the World Champion.

This is the moment at the heart of the debate. | Photo: Eng Chin Ann

Many past and present players have openly questioned whether he "deserves" the title. Critics point out his slump in form since lifting the crown; his rating has slid, he struggled at Norway Chess, and purely on FIDE numbers, he isn't even the top-ranked player in India anymore.

But sport doesn’t live on a spreadsheet. It’s about skill and handling pressure when everything is on the line. Every player enters a tournament with the sole aim of winning it. Whoever crosses the finish line is the deserving winner. Period.

Anish Giri talks about Gukesh's form after becoming the World Champion. | Video: ChessBase India Clips

Thirty years of watching tennis and cricket have shown me this time and again. Marin Cilic won the 2014 US Open right in the middle of the dominant era of Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic. Was he the best player in the world? Probably not. But he was the completely deserving winner that fortnight.

Or remember the 2019 Wimbledon final? Roger Federer had two match points on his own serve. He was the better player for most of that afternoon, but he lost three tie-breaks. Does that make Novak Djokovic any less worthy of the win? Absolutely not. He won the points that mattered.

We see it in cricket, too. The West Indies were undeniably the best team in the world in 1983, but India played the better cricket in the final and deserved that World Cup.

As a casual carrom player, I understand this on a much smaller scale. I can be incredibly good in friendlies when nothing is at stake, but the moment tournament pressure hits, I start missing the easiest of shots. Winning even a single match under that scrutiny is tough, let alone an entire tournament. That is why it is so deeply frustrating to see experienced players downplay Gukesh's achievement.

But you cannot simply talk away a World Championship.

Why is Gukesh facing challenges? | Video: ChessBase India Clips

Gukesh didn’t get handed the title on a silver platter. He fought his way through the brutal Candidates Tournament- the most grueling event in the sport- to earn his shot, and then he went out and defeated Ding Liren in a high-stakes match.

He is only 20 years old. There is a long way ahead of him. History shows that if you keep winning, you eventually end up being discussed as the best player. Hopefully, he can find his footing, defend his title, and reach a level where he is talked about among the greatest of all time.

For now, the reality of sport is simple: if you win the definitive tournament, you deserve the crown. You put in the work, survived the pressure, and converted your opportunities when it mattered most. To dismiss all of that and call Gukesh an "unworthy" champion is absolute, as the great Geoffrey Boycott would say, rubbish.