Candidates champion D Gukesh comes home to rousing welcome in Chennai

Chennai, Apr 25 (PTI) History-making teen Indian Grandmaster D Gukesh was swamped by fans as he returned to an enthusiastic reception here on Thursday after becoming the youngest challenger to the world title following his triumph at the prestigious Candidates Chess Tournament in Toronto.

Hundreds of students from the Velammal Vidyalaya, the school where Gukesh studies, lined up at the airport at least one hour before his flight landed to greet the 17-year-old chess prodigy.

A sizeable general crowd also built up as his arrival time drew closer and the area around the exit gate was jam-packed in no time.

The youngster walked out at around 3am and he was immediately flanked by the jubilant mass. Soon after, he had garlands around his neck even as the police jostled to escort him out safely.

“I feel very happy for this homecoming, this is a special achievement. I was in a good space since the beginning of the tournament, I had full confidence that I will emerge top in this tournament and luck was on my side as well,” Gukesh said while talking to the media at the airport.

“It’s good to see so many people enjoy chess…I thank the Tamil Nadu government. I thank my Appa, Amma, coach, friends, family, sponsor and my school for being alongside me and playing an amazing role in helping me win this tournament,” he added.

“It’s good to see so many people enjoy chess…I thank the Tamil Nadu government. I thank my Appa, Amma, coach, friends, family, sponsor and my school for being alongside me and playing an amazing role in helping me win this tournament,” he added.

His mother Padma, who is a microbiologist, was there to receive him along with some other members of the family and the young champion had a huge smile on his face the moment he spotted her in the crowd. They exchanged a hug after greeting each other.

Gukesh’s father Rajinikanth, who is an ENT surgeon but quit his practice to support him, had travelled with the teen to Toronto for the tournament.

“It is a very proud moment for us. We need some time to realise the importance of the achievements because it is very hectic till now,” Rajinikanth said on arrival.

On Monday, Gukesh became the first Indian after the great Viswanathan Anand to win the Candidates Tournament, which is held specifically to decide the challenger for the reigning world champion.

“It feels great. Viswanathan Anand is an inspiration to everyone. He has played a huge role in my career. I am really glad,” Gukesh said, referring to the guidance provided by Anand in his formative years and also ahead of the Candidates.

The unassuming player became the youngest ever challenger for the title by bettering the record created by the legendary Garry Kasparov 40 years ago. Kasparov was 20 when he became a challenger to the then world champion Anatoly Karpov in 1984.

The triumph entitles Gukesh to a clash against reigning world champion Ding Liren of China in the last quarter of the year.

Kasparov had lauded Gukesh’s performance, describing it as “the Indian earthquake in Toronto”. He had also said that the Indian performance at the Candidates marked a “tectonic shift” in the sport’s global world order.

Among the players Gukesh beat in Candidates was the 18-year-old R Praggnanandhaa, another prodigal talent to emerge from the city. In all, five Indians, three men and two women, competed in the tournament.

Gukesh has been making waves for quite a while now. He became India’s youngest Grandmaster at 12 years, seven months and 17 days in January 2019.

Currently, he has a FIDE rating of 2743, while his peak rating happens to be 2758, which he attained last September.

Gukesh is 16th in the FIDE Rankings at present, while his best ranking to date happens to be eighth, which he reached last September.

Among his top recent performances was a silver medal at the Hangzhou Asian Games last year in the men’s team category.