India’s legendary chess player Vishwanathan Anand congratulated D Gukesh on becoming the World Chess Champion. Gukesh on Thursday became the youngest (18 years old) and second Indian after Anand to win the world title.
Anand in his heartfelt message wrote,”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.
Other sporting legends and political leaders were quick to celebrate his remarkable achievement. Olympic gold medallist Abhinav Bindra lauded Gukesh’s grace under pressure, calling him an inspiration for generations. Olympic gold medallist Neeraj Chopra also congratulated Gukesh for his achievement alongside President Draupadi Murmu.
D Gukesh on bringing title back to India
After winning the match, Gukesh recalled the 2013 final when Magnus Carlsen ended Vishwanathan Anand’s run of four consecutive titles in a row and stated he wanted to to bring back the title to India.
“Eleven years back, the title was taken away from India (when Anand lost to Magnus Carlsen in 2013). When I was watching the match in 2013, I was in the stands (in Chennai) and looking inside the glass box and I thought it would be so cool to be inside one day,” said Gukesh in the post-match press conference.
D Gukesh’s chess career
Gukesh showed interest in the game at a very young age. He began playing chess at the age of 7. Gukesh stopped attending regular school after the fourth standard and later focused entirely on chess, only sitting for exams. He practiced daily for one hour, three days a week. With the support of his family, he was able to dedicate himself fully to improving his game.
At just 12 years old, he became a grandmaster and qualified for FIDE, achieving this remarkable milestone on January 15, 2019. His chess career has seen significant progress. In 2022, he surpassed Viswanathan Anand to become India’s highest-rated player, ending Anand’s remarkable 37-year reign as the country’s top player.
Gukesh also shone at the 2022 FIDE Chess Olympiad, where he earned an individual gold medal and played a key role in helping India secure a bronze medal.
In September 2024, Gukesh participated in the Chess Olympiad in Budapest as part of the Indian team. He delivered an outstanding performance on board one, defeating Wei Yi, Parham Maghsoodloo, and Fabiano Caruana, finishing with 9 points in 10 rounds. Gukesh achieved the highest performance rating of 3056 among all players in the tournament.His performance earned him an individual gold medal
