India, Oct. 27 -- So much of a 1v1 challenge is about the intangible thing we all know as aura. There comes a moment in the course of nearly every professional era in sport when one person rises above everyone else. They are unmistakably better. It's the way they play, the way they carry themselves and these individuals usually go on to dominate an era; they go on to become champions.

But, of late, in the chess world, the champion hasn't played like one. D Gukesh, who became the Classical World Champion on December 12, 2024 at the age of 18 years 6 months and 24 days, has been shaky. He hasn't stamped his authority on the chess world as Magnus Carlsen, Garry Kasparov or even Anatoly Karpov did.

To be fair, he has tried. But a closer loo...