Soon after he came back from winning the Candidates in April 2024, Gukesh started to prepare for the World Championship. He was Candidates champion at the age of 17. The youngest ever to win the tournament. And yet, things hadn’t gone to his head. Even when saying it hadn’t sunk in, he was pragmatic and reasonable. “We are longing for some rest and for things to settle down,” he said at the time. “Once that happens, I think the realisation will sink in. I haven’t really had time to process things yet.”
For Gukesh, it has always been about the process. Sample this from him. “For me, it is always about the process,” he said. “To be the best prepared that I can be. And I was playing some really good chess from the start. To beat Pragg [R Praggnanandhaa] with black was a very good match, for example. In all my matches I was playing well and had built some really good rhythm. Except in round 7 against [Alireza] Firouzja, it was a very good tournament overall. That was the only bad match, and it actually gave me motivation to push harder in the second half of the tournament and do well. When I look back, it was the game that made me more determined.”
Fast forward to the World Championship press conference from last night, and you heard him say the exact same thing. “I like criticism,” he said when asked if he had seen what Magnus Carlsen had said about him. “It fires me up.”
Ahead of the final, he had said to me, “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. My focus is entirely on the job at hand and I know I will have to go there and play at my best.”
That’s exactly what he did. When the entire world had called it a draw, Gukesh did not. He kept at it. Persistence was the key. And the self-belief. With time in hand, he was waiting for Ding Liren to make a mistake. As Anand said, “At times, you need to carry on even if there is not much of a chance.” Gukesh did so, and was rewarded.
He is just 18 and will surely improve as a player. He knows that while he is world champion, he isn’t the best yet. Carlsen is, and that’s his ambition. To create a legacy as rich as that of Carlsen, and Garry Kasparov before him, and rule world chess. With his temperament, few will doubt him.
Before I end the piece, a word on his father. I have known Dr Rajnikanth well for some time now. And the thing that stands out is his humility. Each time you speak to him, he will make sure you feel welcome, and maybe that’s what makes Gukesh the champion that he is. Someone who could take time out and thank his opponent is good for the sport. In fact, great. That’s what sport is all about, and Gukesh will enrich it further going forward. Many congratulations once more the youngest-ever world champion!
Also Read: Gukesh won the world championship because of his attitude – Viswanathan Anand