The moment Magnus Carlsen realised he had made the mistake and it was game over, the Norwegian chess grandmaster thumped the table in disgust. He had blundered bad and it was over for him. Gukesh had beaten the world number 1, and it was sweet revenge for the loss on the first day of the Norway Chess currently underway. Gukesh’s expression soon after the final move was played said it all. It was one of relief and ecstasy combined. Jaws clenched, face pensive yet happy, he knew he had broken the door open and made a statement. This is what it is all about. Taking on and beating Magnus from a position, which was all but done for Gukesh.
For Gukesh, it has always been about the process. Sample this from him. “For me it is always about the process. To be the best prepared that I can be. I don't really think about predictions and stuff. I think my job is to go there and play good Chess and if I do that I believe good things will happen,” he had said to me.
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That’s exactly what he did. When most experts predicted yet another Magnus win, Gukesh did not. He kept at it. Persistence was the key. And the self belief. As he had explained at the Revsportz Trailblazers conclave in the context of the final game against Ding Liren: “People think it was all done. I did not think so. On many occasions people make mistakes under pressure. Ding did.”
Magnus did too. And that’s what provoked the meltdown, which has now gone viral.
Gukesh is just 18 and will surely improve as a player. He knows that while he is world champion, he isn’t the best yet. Magnus is and that’s his ambition. To create a legacy as rich as that of Magnus and rule world chess. With his temperament, few will want to doubt him on that.
In fact, when I asked him what next after winning the world championship, this is what he had said: “There is a lot to do. Winning the world championship doesn’t make me the best player in the world. I am conscious of the road ahead. I want to be the best and that’s what I will aspire to. Magnus is still the best player and the index. I will do the hardest to get there.”
The “attitude” as Vishwanathan Anand had said. That’s what defines Gukesh. Sample this from Anand about the world championship. “At one point I felt there was not much of a chance for either player and in all likelihood it was a draw. There was no real opportunity for anyone to win. But at times even when there is no real chance you need to keep trying. That’s how sport is. You don’t just give up. It is not over till it is actually over. Gukesh kept trying and then Ding blundered opening things up for Gukesh. He won the world championship not just because of the way he played but also because of his attitude.”
How he has dealt with adversity is key to understanding the Gukesh story. Persistence is what defines his ascent to the peak of world chess. Yes things have gone wrong in the past. But he kept persisting. Failed more and learnt more. But kept persisting. He did so last night yet again. And got rewarded.
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