WATCH: D Gukesh, a global star, gets mobbed by young fans in Samarkand

A video shared by ChessBase India on its X (formerly Twitter) handle captured world champion D Gukesh getting mobbed by kids, as he entered the playing hall for Round 4 of FIDE Grand Swiss 2025. The tournament is being played in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, and it attested to the young champion's rising global popularity.

There was no surprise in the whole thing, for Gukesh is a champion in a truly global sport. Chess has reach far beyond a handful of Commonwealth nations and youngsters can identify themselves with someone who is of their age, smart, good-looking and, most importantly, a topper in his profession.

Magnus Carlsen, the legend and arguably the greatest chess player of all time — Bobby Fischer and Garry Kasparov might say ‘hello’ — remains the most iconic and popular figure in the sport despite the fact that, after five consecutive world titles, he is done with the classical format. Gukesh has all the qualities to become the great Norwegian’s heir apparent. At just 18 years of age, he became the youngest chess world champion. And his victory has coincided with India's rising global stature. Sport is soft power and the boy from Chennai is a symbol of a rising India.

At RevSportz’s conclave earlier this year — Trailblazers 3.0 — Gukesh was asked about his rising popularity. He replied with humility, saying how he felt overwhelmed to see more and more youngsters taking to chess. Then, he became a fanboy and spoke about how big a fan he is of MS Dhoni, Chennai's ‘Thala’. The reality is that, in places where cricket is almost unheard of, fans easily recognise Gukesh.

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