Russian GM Andrey Esipenko shared his thoughts on the Championship of Gukesh Dommaraju and noted Ding Liren’s move to inactivity in an interview on the YouTube channel Virtus.pro Chess on January 21. Andrey highlighted Gukesh’s prospects and Ding’s decline in mental state after the loss in 2024.

Andrey Esipenko

Andrey Esipenko

Russian GM

“Yes, I think Gukesh is a real World Champion, of course. He qualified, had an incredible Candidates Tournament, and played amazingly at the Olympics too. Yes, he is having far from the best of times in chess terms right now, but he is still very young and has potential. In my opinion, he really is a very strong and prominent chess player.

Regarding Ding Liren, yes, in 2025 he has not played a single Classical game. He is clearly not in the best mental state right now. I think he is just recovering from the defeat in the World Championship match in 2024. I want to wish him to successfully get through this difficult period and return as soon as possible. He is a great player.”

Indian GM Gukesh Dommaraju (2754) became the youngest-ever World Champion in 2024. Ding Liren’s last official Classical game was played on December 12, 2024 in the 14th and final game of the World Chess Championship Match. In the match, Ding lost to Gukesh with a score of 6.5–7.5, winning 2 games, losing 3, and drawing 9. Daniil Dubov shared his opinion on Gukesh’s Title in an interview on December 28, 2025.

Credit: Virtus.pro Chess