A RevSportz Exclusive
A year on from his remarkable surprise win at the Candidates, D Gukesh, who subsequently went on to beat China’s Ding Liren in the final of the Chess World Championship, chatted exclusively with Boria Majumdar, RevSportz editor-in-chief. He spoke of staying down to earth while eyeing new heights, the sacrifices his family had made, being an MS Dhoni fan and the road ahead. A world champion’s journey, both front and backstage.
Boria: How is it possible to remain grounded and your humble self with so much adulation around in the form of selfies, autograph requests, endorsement offers etc?
Gukesh: This is a special achievement, but there is a lot more to achieve. It is a never-ending road to self-improvement; it is nothing to be content with. But it is true, that it is not always easy. So, I think the people around me are the important ones who help keep me grounded.
Boria: Your dad does not take any credit for your achievements. He claims every father would have done what he is doing. Can you tell me, please, a little bit about your dad, your mum?
Gukesh: Yeah, both my parents have done a lot, and without their sacrifices, nothing would have been possible. My parents, right from the start, wanted me to pursue a career in what I really enjoy. They are quite interested in sports, but they could not pursue a career in that. So, they wanted me to just do what I like and were prepared to arrange the resources for that. Once they found out that I am interested in chess, I was addicted to chess, they decided that this is what I will be doing.
And at that time, I was just too young to take any kind of decision about my career or about my life. But they just made sure that I do not have any distractions. They took that tough decision of dropping me out of school at an early age. And dealt with a lot of financial struggles, especially before I became a grandmaster. We got timely support from family, from friends, which was very crucial. They kept me inside a bubble so that I could just focus on my chess and not face any struggle.
My mom staying away from me for long periods of time, my dad traveling constantly, quitting his practice, also added to their struggles. But yeah, I am glad that things worked out and that I am doing well in my career, which would make them happy now.
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Boria: Can you just take us back and give us a sneak peek into when you first had a chat with your father and mother after the World Championship happened?
Gukesh: Once I finished the game, I came out, and all were emotional. It was such a huge change from time breaks to World Champion in a couple of minutes. And I came out of the venue, my dad was there and we hugged. And then I think also I hugged my trainer Gajewski (Grzegorz). And then we entered the van and I spoke to my mom over the phone as she was not present in Singapore at that time.
We were speaking and crying out of happiness. After the game was finished, my dad was coordinating with home to book the flights. My mom and family arrived next morning if I remember well. It was a beautiful moment for all of us. And especially for my mom after staying away for so long and then to see me as the world champion. We spent a couple of days in Singapore for some sightseeing. And it was really nice.
Boria: How was the experience of bungee jumping in Singapore?
Gukesh: Initially, I was just excited to be there and it was not that scary. But once I went up there and I was about to jump, I got really scared. I felt like, why am I doing this. When I jumped, the first few seconds were very scary. But then, it was fun. It also helped that I saw a few people jumping before me. I knew that nothing bad was going to happen.
Boria: What is a usual family day like at home? Suppose all of you have a break, then what do you all do?
Gukesh: My mom works and and dad sometimes goes for some consultancy in the hospital or he takes care of my career, because some of the things he has to constantly keep attending to. But to be honest, I do not remember when was the last time we all were on a break or something like that. Yeah, whenever we find some time, we try to go on some get-togethers with family friends. My parent’s batchmates, the ones they studied together with in college, we are like very close – basically like family. So whenever possible, we try to meet with them and those couple of days are always super fun. I am switched off from chess and we all enjoy our time together. Sometimes, we just put on the TV and watch some movie. But yeah, most of the time I am occupied with my training or my travel and stuff like that. That is how it looks.
Boria: Are you a foodie?
Gukesh: Not so much.
Boria: What kind of food do you prefer generally?
Gukesh: In general, I’m fine with any kind of food. Especially when I have to travel, I don’t try to be particular. I try to stick to Indian food during tournaments. At home, it’s mostly South Indian food. I am okay with Italian or any of the Asian cuisines. Basically, I can adjust with anything.
Boria: You read books quite a lot. Is there any particular kind of literature that you like to read?
Gukesh: Yeah. Couple of years back, I was reading a lot of autobiographies of great sportspersons. Like Vishy Sir’s (Viswanathan Anand), Sachin Sir’s (Sachin Tendulkar), Abhinav Bindra and other great athletes that I admire. Also, at times, I read self-help books. Like Atomic Habits.
Boria: You are an MS Dhoni fan. How did this happen? Why MS?
Gukesh: I remember when I was like five years old, I was watching 2011 World Cup. The final shot. It is just something. Also, for kids in general, Dhoni is like an emotion. Especially me, coming from Chennai, he playing for CSK. So, from childhood, I admired him. Also, like, I can connect with him on how he behaves on the field, always composed, calm in the critical situations.
Something that I try to do on the chess board as well. And recently, also, (Novak) Djokovic. I really admire him.
Boria: How important is mental health? And to have a mental conditioning coach like Paddy Upton … did he make a tangible difference?
Gukesh: Yeah, for sure. We started working around May last year (for the World Championship) after I won the Candidates. There are a lot of things that we spoke about. If, in any moment, I felt any concern or any kind of doubts in my mind, we just talk. He has this ability, at least for me, to put my thoughts into very simple words so that I can have a clear perspective on what I am feeling. And, I remember I was finding it hard to sleep enough because of the match stress. He suggested something that got me sleeping quite well. And these little things, they matter a lot when it comes to the critical moments.
Boria: He [Upton] said, ‘Look, I don’t understand chess, but we had planned for a situation where, if necessary, Gukesh would keep doing on the board and tire him [Ding Liren] out and induce mistakes so that if it comes to the tie-break, we were ready with those ploys.’ Is that true?
Gukesh: Yeah, we tried. I mean, when you play a World Championship and prepare for 6-7 months for all kinds of scenarios and their reactions. And we thought it will be a good idea, with Ding not being at his absolute best. We just wanted to keep him at the board and prolong the game and let him make a mistake.
Especially after his first few games, where he was struggling to stay at the board.
Boria: Do you think about the fact that you have been able to inspire many kids to take up the sport? Do you think of this as a legacy?
Gukesh: It is a privilege for me to be the person who develops interest in the whole sport in others. But I still see myself as this upcoming player who has lots to learn, improve and achieve. So, I do not think about legacy yet. But whenever some kids come up to me and say that they started playing chess because of me, it is a great feeling of honour.
Boria: Not just in India, happy fans gather to support and meet you even abroad. Does this give you a positive vibe about India? And how important are your fans to you?
Gukesh: They are, of course, very important. It is amazing to see how a person who I have never met, can go out of the way so much to support me. I appreciate my fans. And seeing Indian chess fans when playing abroad make me really proud. It shows how important chess is to India and Indians.
Boria: How meaningful was it for you to attend the Tata Steel Trailblazers conclave and meet the likes of Gopi (Pullela Gopichand), Lovlina (Borgohain), or Mahesh (Bhupathi) and others? Does an event of this scale still make a difference to you, or is it just another gig for you?
Gukesh: No, it’s surely much more than that. Getting to hear so many athletes and learning from those talks as an athlete myself. And also, to get the centre-stage attention from the public. Not just me, but also chess is getting that attention as a sport. So, I am really glad to be a part of this.