Eleven years ago, a boy watching the World Chess Championship between Viswanathan Anand and Magnus Carlsen in Chennai from the stands thought it would be “cool” to be inside the glass box one day. That’s where the players are when the match is taking place. Spectators watch from outside.
Over a decade after the Norwegian snatched the world champion’s crown from the Indian legend, that boy realised his dream. He was inside the glass enclosure, which looks like a giant fish tank, and didn’t stop at just being there. D Gukesh stunned the world and defending champion Ding Liren in a dramatic 14th and last game to become the youngest-ever world chess champion in history.
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Gukesh was in tears after the momentous win, which nobody other than him saw coming. Commenting on ChessBase India during the game, Anand himself had said this was going to be a draw. It would have been a creditable outcome for the challenger, because he was playing with black pieces, and taken this match into a tie-breaker.
Gukesh kept persisting. He had three pawns against his opponent’s two, but that was not a huge advantage. He converted that position into a decisive edge by consistently pushing. To defeat the reigning champion with black in the last round is rare in history. The 18-year-old did that and brought the crown back he had seen being “taken away from India by Magnus” in 2013.
“When Magnus won in 2013, I started thinking that I should be the one who brings this title back to India,” said Gukesh after the match in Singapore. “This dream I had about 10 years ago had been the single most important thing of my life. Doing this for myself, my loved one and my country... there is nothing better than this,” said Gukesh, who was in tears when the magic moment arrived.
It’s a landmark moment in the history of Indian chess and Indian sports in general. This is a perfect continuation of the spark shown by the youth brigade at the 2022 Chess Olympiad in Chennai, where the men’s and women’s teams won bronze medals. Gukesh had a leading role to play in that too. Then, R Praggnanandhaa finished second in last year’s World Cup, Gukesh won the Candidates to qualify for this match and led India to a historic gold medal at the 2024 Olympiad.
But to become the world champion at 18 is a different deal altogether. In many ways, it is the fruition of the movement started by Anand. For years after he lost the crown, there was a void. Now, that question has been answered. Gukesh and his generation will rule world chess in the immediate future. Singapore will remain a witness to the beginning of this glory march.
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