D Gukesh went down the memory lane to the time when Magnus Carlsen ended the legendary Viswanathan Anand’s reign as the world chess champion. Back in 2013, Carlsen defeated Anand in the title clash in Chennai, after which he won the championship four times. In 2023, China’s Ding Liren won the competition, before Gukesh became the second Indian after Anand to bag the title.
On Thursday, December 12, Gukesh became the youngest and the first teenager to win the world chess championship. The 18-year-old broke Garry Kasparov’s 39-year-old record after beating Ding 7.5-6.5. Gukesh, who was there in the stands during the 2013 title clash, said that after Anand lost to Carlsen 11 years ago, he set himself a goal of bringing back the title to India.
“11 years ago, the title was taken away from India. When I was watching the match in 2013, I was inside the stands and I thought that it would be so cool to be inside the box,” Gukesh said in the press conference after winning the title.
“When Magnus won, I wanted to be the one to bring back the title to India. This dream that I had more than 10 years ago is the single-most important thing in my life. There’s nothing better than doing this for myself, my loved ones and my country,” Gukesh added.
After Gukesh won, Anand also had words of appreciation for the youngster.
“Congratulations! It’s a proud moment for chess, a proud moment for India, a proud moment for WACA, and for me, a very personal moment of pride. Ding played a very exciting match and showed the champion he is,” Anand wrote on X.
Gukesh also talked about how a meeting with Anand gave him the confidence to bounce back after losing the first game. Back in 2013, the title clash between Anand and Carlsen had 12 games while Gukesh had 14 games. Gukesh said that after the ‘humiliating’ defeat in the opening game, he grabbed his chances to have the last laugh.
“In the match, the toughest challenge I faced was losing the first game. As an 18-year-old, to come here and lose the way I did was humiliating. It was tough to handle. After the game, when I was walking to the hotel, I met Vishy Sir in the lift. He said that he had 11 games and I had 13 games. It was a nice reminder that it was only one game and I will get my chances,” Gukesh said.
D Gukesh in tears after victorious run
After he took down Ding, Gukesh was overwhelmed and he cried tears of joy. Just when it seemed that the title clash would go into the tie-breaker scheduled for December 13, Ding’s blunder in the 53rd move put Gukesh on the threshold of victory.
Gukesh faced a challenging start in the World Chess Championship, losing the opening game to Ding while playing white. However, he made a strong comeback in Game 3, securing a win. The two players then went on to draw seven consecutive games before Gukesh claimed an impressive victory in Game 11.
Ding responded with a nearly perfect performance in Game 12, playing white. In Game 13, Ding withstood Gukesh’s pressure to draw the game, leading to the final classical match, where Gukesh emerged victorious.
