Mumbai

Following his International Chess Federation (FIDE) World Championship win, Indian chess sensation D. Gukesh reminisced about how Magnus Carlsen's victory over former world champion Viswanathan Anand in the 2013 title clash ignited a spark in him to bring the title back to India. He also revealed plans to go bungee jumping after securing the championship.

Gukesh made history on Thursday by becoming the youngest-ever champion in the history of the sport after defeating China's Ding Liren in the final game of their FIDE World Championship tie.

During the post-match press conference, Gukesh shared, "In 2013, during the Chess World Championship in Chennai, I looked at Vishy Sir and Magnus and thought it would be really cool to be there one day. To actually sit there and see the Indian flag next to me was probably the best moment of my life. When Magnus won, I thought, 'I really want to be the one to bring the title back to India.'"

He also revealed his team of trainers, seconds, and training partners, which included Grzegorz Gajewski, Radoslaw Wojtaszek, Pentala Harikrishna, Vincent Keymer, Jan-Krzysztof Duda, and Jan Klimkowski. His team also featured mental trainer Paddy Upton, who played a crucial role in India's 2011 Cricket World Cup and the 2024 Paris Olympics hockey bronze medal win.

"Vishy Sir was never officially part of the team, but we all know he was supporting me. He attended one of the training camps and also helped remotely during a few sessions," Gukesh added.

On his bungee jumping plans, Gukesh said, "On the penultimate rest day, maybe after game nine, we went for a walk on the beach. We saw people doing bungee jumping, and Gayu [a teammate] said, 'If you win this thing, I am going to jump off and do bungee jumping.' For some reason, I said I would join too. So now, I think I will. Maybe Paddy can join as well. I'm looking forward to jumping off a bridge!"

An emotional Gukesh after winning the title

Gukesh also spoke about an emotional phone call with his mother after his victory, saying, "We were both crying."

Reflecting on his journey, Gukesh said he has faith in God and credited divine intervention for his success, which saw him go from failing to qualify for the 2024 FIDE Candidates Tournament to winning it and ultimately claiming the Chess World Championship title.

To the youth, Gukesh offered a simple message: "Keep enjoying chess. You will achieve your dream one day."

He praised his opponent Ding Liren, calling him a "real inspiration." "What I learned from Ding is what an incredible fighter he is. True champions fight until the very end," Gukesh added.

On the possibility of playing Magnus Carlsen for the world title in the future, Gukesh said it would be the "toughest challenge in chess." He added, "It's up to Magnus, but I would love to test myself against the best player in the world."

With the scores tied at 6.5-6.5 going into the final game, Gukesh delivered a stellar performance to seal his historic victory, ending with a final score of 7.5-6.5. This win marked him as the 18th chess champion in the sport's history, according to FIDE's official website.

Earlier in April, Gukesh created history by winning the 2024 FIDE Candidates Chess Tournament, becoming the youngest-ever challenger to the world title held by Ding Liren.

Overwhelmed by emotions following his triumph, Gukesh broke down in tears, describing the win as the "best moment of his life."

🇮🇳 Gukesh D 🥹
Ladies and gentlemen, the 18th WORLD CHAMPION! #DingGukesh pic.twitter.com/CgzYBgeTfq

— International Chess Federation (@FIDE_chess) December 12, 2024

Meanwhile, Ding Liren said in the post-match press conference, "I was totally in shock when I realised I made a blunder. I will continue to play. I think I played my best tournament of the year. It could have been better, but considering yesterday's lucky survival, it is a fair result to lose in the end. I have no regrets."

Born in a Telugu-speaking family in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, on May 29, 2006, Gukesh learned chess from his cousins at the age of seven and was soon beating those who taught him the game.

Seeing his potential, his ENT surgeon father Dr. Rajinikanth and mother Dr. Padma, decided to help him pursue his dream of playing chess. One of them started accompanying Gukesh as he started playing the junior and age-group circuit, becoming the World Champion in two categories -- U-9 in 2015 and U-12 in 2017.

After initial success as a sub-junior player, Gukesh took up coaching with Grandmaster Vishnu Prassana and his life changed as this student of Velammal Vidyalaya School, Chennai transformed into a champion player and went on to become the second-youngest Grandmaster in the history of the game at the age of 12 years, 7 months, and 17 days. The record has since been beaten by Abhimanyu Mishra, making Gukesh the third-youngest GM ever.

Overshadowed initially by the likes of Nihal Sarin and R Praggnanandhaa, Gukesh made history by winning an individual gold medal for India in the 2022 Olympiad in Chennai, finishing with a score of 9 out of 11 as India-2 won a bronze medal.

He has since that day shot up in the FIDE rating, moving into the top five in the World and now has become the youngest World Champion.

Gukesh qualified for the Candidates Tournament, the qualifying event for the World Championship final, with a miraculous victory in the Chennai Grandmaster Tournament and went on to book his ticket from a hopeless position.

A player known for his keen sense of positional play who does not like to depend too much on openings, Gukesh has an incredible ability to calculate moves and tries to gain an advantage over his opponents by finding the right move in the position.

Though in the 2024 World Chess Championship match against Ding Liren, Gukesh did fail to capitalise on a few opportunities and faced a tremendous fightback from the Chinese reigning World Champion. But Gukesh eventually proved that dreams do come true if you are ready to work hard and make the most of your opportunities.

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Gukesh has proved that one can achieve any dream if one has the talent and is ready to work hard to achieve it. Mostly short on words, Gukesh lives and breathes chess as he does not have any other interests besides it. Now that he has won the title, he said his aim now is the become a great player like Magnus Carlsen, the five-time World Champion and the highest-ranked player the game has ever seen.