New Delhi: A lot goes into making a world champion as achieving distant dreams and visions, which take you to the pinnacle, are only realised with extraordinary talent and unwavering determination. The youngest world chess champion, India’s D Gukesh, who achieved this momentous feat on Thursday, is a perfect example of excellence, resilience and commitment as he fulfilled his childhood dream at a very young age.
Gukesh made the country proud, taking forward the lasting legacy of Indian chess legend Viswanathan Anand, by becoming the young world chess champion in Singapore. Gukesh beat Chinese chess ace Ding Liren in an exciting contest, which went down to the wire, to become only the second Indian after Anand to achieve the miraculous feat.
In what happened to be a tough showdown, Gukesh held his nerves till the last moment, giving his country the moment of pride after a big gap of 12 years, when Anand had bagged his last and fifth world chess title. The teenager from Chennai not only brought laurels to the country and ended the drought in the sport for India but also became an inspiration for millions of passionate youth in the country, setting the perfect example that dreams can be achieved.
We look at some of the salient features what made D Gukesh the youngest world champion in chess.
Manifestation at an early age
The talented Chennai teenager had manifested about becoming the youngest world chess champion at the age of 11 and 7 years later, he achieved his childhood dream at the age of 18. Soon after Gukesh’s glorious triumph, an old video of the Indian chess player went viral on social media where he was seen talking about his dream of achieving the glory. The best thing about his manifestation was the accuracy as he did not predict of just becoming the world chess champion but the youngest champion.
Resilience
Standing up again and coming back strongly after having a fall is not everyone’s cup of tea but Gukesh had it in himself – an absolute resilience, that it a pre-requisite for a sportsperson. After his 2024 FIDE Candidates victory, which opened the doors for his entry to the biggest stage, Gukesh made a surprising comment that he reached his best form after suffering a particular loss in the event.
This was the perfect example of resilience in a great player like Gukesh that he came back even stronger after a loss and went on to win the Candidates. The Indian ace even carried the subtleness of the quality in the 14 games as continuous draws did not deter him and he finally managed a victory when it mattered the most.
Competitive spirit/Confidence
A must for a sportsperson, Gukesh has always exhibited a plenty of competitive spirit which helped him achieve a far-fetched dream. A strong desire and hunger to win and beat opponents in the game is what helped the young India to the most prestigious title in chess. After the win, although he continued to hail the talented Chinese player he was up against but during all the 14 games, he wore that competitive spirit and the confidence on his sleeve which was pretty evident during the mouth-watering contests.
Focus/Adaptability
The youngest world chess champions looked totally unaffected by all the extrinsic things that took place during the course of the 14 matches and just focused on achieving his childhood dream. He also stayed calm during the entire event and made a visible progress match after match which helped him achieving his goal. For Gukesh, focus on the game became more important than outside noise and that way, he was able to give it his best shot.
Adaptability is another thing that a sportsperson can’t leave and to possess it in the required level is what Gukesh taught us all. Naturally considered a very tactful and dynamic player, Gukesh played a solid game of chess all through even if draw appeared to be the optimal result on multiple occasions.
Indian Grandmaster D Gukesh on Thursday became the youngest world chess champion at 18 years after beating title-holder Ding Liren in the last game of a nerve-wracking showdown. Other Sports Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
