Newly-crowned world chess champion D. Gukesh received a hero’s welcome upon his return home, as hundreds of enthusiastic fans and officials from the Tamil Nadu government and the national chess federation gathered at the airport on Monday to greet him.
The 18-year-old achieved a historic milestone by defeating China’s Ding Liren 7.5-6.5 in Singapore last week, becoming the youngest world chess champion in history. Gukesh broke the decades-old record set by Russian legend Garry Kasparov, who claimed the title at the age of 22 in 1985.
Upon his arrival, Gukesh thanked everyone for supporting him.
"It's amazing. Your support gave me a lot of energy. It's a great feeling to win the world championship," said Gukesh as media and fans jostled to get a closer view of the youngster, as per PTI.
"It means a lot to bring back trophy to India. Thank you for this reception. I hope we will have a great time in the next few days celebrating together," he added.
Upon arriving at Chennai's Kamaraj Airport, D. Gukesh was warmly welcomed by representatives from the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu and staff from his alma mater, Velammal Vidyalaya. They greeted him with a bouquet and draped a shawl around him in the airport lounge, honoring his remarkable achievement.
Gukesh, who began his chess journey at Velammal Vidyalaya, acknowledged the cheers of waiting fans before departing in a flower-decorated car featuring his photograph.
Later in the day, he is scheduled to address the media at Velammal School in Mogappair. Following this, he plans to celebrate at home with his parents, relatives, and friends. His father, Dr. Rajinikanth, an ENT surgeon, accompanied him throughout the competition, while his mother, Dr. Padmavathi, a microbiologist, joined him in Singapore after the final round.
On Tuesday, he will be given a grand reception at the Kalaivanar Arangam at Wallahjah Road and he will be taken to the iconic auditorium in a specially-arranged parade.
Gukesh to receive Rs 5 crore cash prize
Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin is expected to be present during the function to present Gukesh with a cheque of Rs five crore.
"To honour the monumental achievement of Gukesh, the youngest-ever World Chess Champion, I am delighted to announce a cash prize of 5 crore! His historic victory has brought immense pride and joy to the nation. May he continue to shine and achieve greater heights in the future," Stalin had written on X soon after Gukesh's historic triumph.
Gukesh is only the second Indian after the great Viswanathan Anand to claim the world title. Anand played a pivotal role in shaping the teenager at his academy.
Gukesh has enjoyed a stellar year, starting with his win in the Candidates Tournament in Toronto that made him the youngest challenger to the world crown. He later spearheaded India's first-ever gold-winning campaign in the Chess Olympiad in Budapest. The world champions win also fetched Gukesh a whopping cash prize of USD 1.3 million (approx Rs 11.03 crore).
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