Classical is my favorite format too but you are deluded if you think it's the most popular format even now let alone the future. Current generation has no patience to follow a 3 hour Chess game.
It's the same as Test vs T20 debate in Cricket.
Tests are the ultimate format but it has empty stadiums compared to T20 circus which fills up the stadium.
As for Magnus, of course he'll go down soon. But, casual Indian Chess fans should stop saying BS like "Gukesh should humble Magnus" etc. You only get an egg on your face when that doesn't happen.
A better way would be to say Gukesh is only 18 and is already among the top 5 Classical players in the world and he'll go on improving etc.
No, i know noobs like the faster formats and its more popular, but regardless, its not really chess because it rewards monotony and grind over creativity. Its not really the same to me as cricket, because IMO test cricket is not the great leveller of skills, like classical chess is.
This is because, in Classical chess, a much lesser player has scope to 'prepare' to beat a much better player by exploring a chess line thats never taken before 6-10 deep and see how it works out and get to a slightly better position.
Then when you play, you create time-pressure on the unexpecting far better player -because you have analyzed the moves and you are going by memory, while mr Magnus is still furiously calculating and suddenly you are 15-20 min up on the clock and time pressure becomes real.
This is the scope of classical chess, if you play at a semi-decent level that is lacking/impossible in the shorter formats, which is ALL about grinding it out, having enough memory based recall and some pattern recognition thrown in, to play without thinking or analyzing too much. Thats whats also turned off oldie chess fans off of chess these days outside the classical world.
Personally, its true, classical will never be the most popular formats, because most noobs dont really understand chess as a strategy game but more like a turn best MMORPG of special characters kind of video-game logic, so they all go all ga-ga over stats than real chess.
I am no chess god- i am your local junior interschool guy who kept up the habit somewhat ( i still play but like 4-5 games a year max) so dont take this as me being snooty or something, but i find it hillarious when most chess noobs talk of great chess players on youtube or tiktok. Coz they always forget a guy who is good enough to actually rub shoulders with Kasparov (who imo is the greatest, not magnoos) and magnus and vishy - Tal.
personally, i dont see the charm in playing chess like a dance dance revolution speed game, the sacrife plays and creativity of medium level speed chess is zero. its all like the Kota files, he who mugs chess theory better is the better speed player for actual playing for 99% of people who play. So fuck that is my attitude.
i love playing chess, but if u want to play chess with me, its gonna be classical coz i like exploring my options and not being a rote memory guy beyong the basics as to openings and zugzwang and such.
