Gukesh cracks the Code : We have the World’s youngest World Chess Champion

Gukesh Dommaraju : The youngest to the throne of chess

There is a new World Champion in Chess. There is more to it than just that. He just 18 and hence the youngest champion ever. He is the second Indian and is a shining proof of the rising Chess standards in India.

It was 55 th move in the last game of the 14 game duel that settled it. Defending Champion Din Liren , though brilliant in some of the games, had looked off colour in the match up. Lack of form and dealing with mental distress Liren’s gameplay was unusually riddled with errors.

In the 14th game, with the game looking like a classical rook and bishop end game destined to go to a draw, Liren blundered. The white rook was offered for an exchange and the bishop exchange followed, and Gukesh suddenly had an unstoppable pawn heading to promotion. The Chinese knew it was all over and Gukesh was home and dry.

The response from the Indian was typical of those who know him. He , in what is a signature move of his, started rearranging the pieces on the board. The camera caught a maelstrom of emotions. There was a smile , there was a tear and then the relief of having achieved the ultimate dream.

A dream which he had pursued from a very early age. He had watched the genius of Magnus Carlsen get better of the then defending champion Viswanathan Anand in his hometown Chennai in 2013. Carlsen probably the best in Chess today, is almost not interested and the next gen is ready to go. India has it’s own bunch of players who are world beaters today.

Gukesh : the poster boy of India’s emergence in chess.

Gukesh is the poster boy of India’s stunning rise in the chess world. The game is much more popular today, the system is working and talent is in abundance. The Budapest Chess Olympiad gold in 2024 was the first piece of evidence of the pool of strength. Gukesh’s win is adding the next indicator.

The young grandmaster from Chennai has a dream fulfilled, India as a nation has a moment of glory but then there is one man who started it all, Viswanathan Anand: the man who should easily be called the best sportsman in Indian history has been the trailblazer.

Today truly as his name suggests he must be in ‘Anand” ( joy)

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