It’s been more than two months since D. Gukesh became the youngest world chess champion. But the celebrations haven’t stopped for the young Grandmaster.
The 18-year-old youngest World champion sat through a nearly two-hour programme that had laser shows, dance, music and an appearance by Korean pop singer Aoora, organised by his alma mater Velammal Nexus here.
On Friday, the school management in Mogappair felicitated him with a cash award of ₹one crore. “The school has supported me from the beginning till now. I am ever thankful to it,” he said.
After the World Championship victory, the Chennai lad took part in two tournaments — Tata Steel in Wijk aan Zee and Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour in Weissenhaus, Germany.
While he lost to Praggnanandhaa in the Tata Steel final in a tiebreak, he finished eighth among 10 players in Germany.
On losing to Pragg, Gukesh said it was disappointing but insisted that he has taken a lot of lessons from the defeat. “You can’t win everything. I will look at them objectively and see where I can improve.”
Gukesh called the Freestyle Chess Slam a “bad event” for him. “It’s an interesting format. I am looking forward to playing in the next freestyle event in Paris from April 8 to 15,” he said.
According to the Khel Ratna awardee, the Norway chess tournament in Stavanger, beginning on May 26, would be “very special” as he would be meeting World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen. The two last played in the FIDE World Cup quarterfinals in 2023.
“It will, no doubt, be a great learning experience playing Magnus. I am looking forward to playing my best,” he said.
Gukesh disagreed with National badminton coach P. Gopi Chand’s reported statement that sport is for the rich. “I don’t think so. If you are sincere, and have willpower, no matter which gender you are and what background you come from, you can achieve. In my case, we faced financial issues early in my career, but we were dedicated. Sport is equal for all,” he said.
Published – February 28, 2025 11:05 pm IST
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