Geopolitics, 'toiletgate', and drama: Chess is colourful and complex

Chess is often used as a metaphor for other things. Politicians and diplomats supposedly play "3D chess" when they negotiate treaties, football coaches do it too.

- Devangshu Datta

But chess is just chess—a game rich and complex enough to wash out metaphors. On Nov 25, an 18-year-old Indian, Gukesh Dommaraju, will challenge the 32-year-old world champion, Ding Liren of China, for the title at the Resorts World Sentosa in Singapore.

Geopolitical strategists may see this as a symbolic struggle between two Asian giants with a complicated history. And, indeed, the rise of China and India has coincided with the emergence of many talented chess players from both nations.

But the match itself will be decided by the skills and temperaments of two individuals, who will make the critical decisions on 64 black and white squares.

The chess world championship has a storied history dating back to 1886. In all those years, just 17 men have been acknowledged as classical world champions—men who have won the title, and held it, in head-to-head matches.

For context, the 13th world champion, Garry Kasparov, once pointed out that more than 6,000 people had climbed Mount Everest. Gukesh would be, by far, the youngest champion if he does beat Ding to become No. 18.

Geopolitics did come into the picture in many of those battles. The former Soviet Union used to cite its dominance of world chess as a validation of its social system during the Cold War era.

In 1972, a lone-wolf American, Bobby Fischer, wrested the title from Soviet grandmaster Boris Spassky in a match in Reykjavik, where great chess was overshadowed by lots of shenanigans off the board.