A STAR IS BORN!

A child genius and prodigy, he became a grandmaster at the age of 12 plus. There was no doubt that here is a world champion in the making.

Though chess is enjoyed by a discreet and committed section of  people in India, D Gukesh, an 18-year-old chess prodigy from Chennai, has been a house-hold name in many parts of the country. Like Viswanathan Anand, a grandmaster par excellence, and an undefeated world champion for many years. Now, Gukesh has taken the chess world by storm — not only in India, but all over the chess-playing world, finding a firm place in the heart (and mind) of the game’s committed and die-hard followers and fans. 

Anand is himself a five-time World Chess Champion and a two-time Chess World Cup Champion. Indeed, he proved his mettle by becoming the the first grandmaster from India in 1988. He also hit the the eighth-highest peak FIDE rating — of all time. Gukesh was just about seven when he carefully watched a game between two geniuses: the World Title match between Viswanathan Anand and Magnus Carlsen at Chennai in 2013.

Known for his sharp strategic mind, patience and resilience, Gukesh has, in his young international career, quickly risen through the ranks to challenge the world’s best in this tough ‘mind game’. Clearly, a child genius and prodigy, he became a grandmaster at the age of 12 plus. There was no doubt that here was a world champion in the making.

Ding Liren, from China, an accomplished, sometimes unpredictable, and extremely innovative Chinese grandmaster, has been a formidable force in the game since a long time. As the reigning world champion, Ding is celebrated for his precision and deep understanding of the game, making him a tough opponent for any challenger all over the world. 

He has been a reigning champion in his own country, and was the 17^th World Chess Champion in 2023-24. Indeed, it seemed well-nigh impossible to defeat him in the current circumstances.

The Incredible Moves

The 2024 World Chess Championship, held at Resorts World Sentosa in Singapore, was a highly thrilling contest between Gukesh and Ding Liren which gripped the attention of its followers. It was also keenly watched across India, where people have been immensely proud of Anand, more so because of his extraordinary mental strength, and his humble behaviour and conduct.

Even in India, where men’s cricket, including a commercially-driven, cash-rich IPL, dominates the sports landscape, the achievements of young Gukesh had caught the national attention since long. Besides, chess has come to enjoy widespread popularity among the young, including among school students.

This is is an unprecedented phenomena, and, surprisingly, very good news, especially in a sporting terrain disproportionately loaded in favour of men’s cricket, especially the one-day and 20-20 format, which require neither old fashioned patience and mental skills, nor the techniques of copybook cricket played by the great masters of the past. Even Test cricket’s popularity seems to have declined because of the quick-fix, fours/sixes mentality, which has gripped the minds of frivolous cricket fans, forever looking for an instant high, and a permanent state of catharsis.

The World Chess Championship in Singapore stretched over 14 long games, painstakingly played, with fans watching every move with awe, surprise and delight. It showcased the incredible genius and strategic prowess of both the champions. Undoubtedly, the championship was fiercely contested, with both Gukesh and Ding displaying remarkable skills, patience and tenacity. 

The  game seemed evenly poised, with no one agreeing to give way to the opponent. It was a mind game which gripped the audience all over the world. Each move was greeted with an equally tough and tactical counter-move, and so on, pushing the game towards the threshold of intense tension. Indeed, it really became very tense.

So much so, the scores remained tied at 6.5 points each after 13 hard-fought games, as both of them gave their best in every move and in every game. Ding Liren secured victories in Games 1 and 12, while Gukesh won Games 3 and 11, with the remaining games ending in a draw. Both players performed to their best, they seemed evenly matched, while they maintained an equal score throughout, not giving one inch to the opponent.

 The Decisive Battle

The final game was crucial. The championship title was on the line. 

Gukesh, playing with the black pieces, faced Ding’s aggressive and innovative opening. The tension was palpable as both players navigated through a series of complex positions. 

The game was marked by several pivotal moments whereby both players made calculated moves. Gukesh’s old-fashioned patience, resilience and ability to counter Ding’s aggressive strategy were on full display. And, then, surprisingly, and suddenly, on the 55th move, Ding seemed to have made a major mistake.

He allowed Gukesh to take control of the board. All the chess grandmasters of yore, keenly watching the moves, were shocked, as nobody expected such an error, and that too from the reigning world champion — Ding. Gukesh, quickly recognizing his sudden opportunity, executed a brilliant combination that forced Ding into a losing position. 

This was Gukesh in his best form. The FIDE World Chess Championship carries a $2.5m (£1.96m) prize fund.

With precise and decisive moves, Gukesh secured a great victory, becoming the youngest World Chess Champion in the history of the game at 18. This achievement not only marks a personal milestone for him, but also adds a new chapter to India’s rich chess legacy, with scores of youngsters, male and female, choosing to master the game, and wanting to play at the national and international level in the days to come. Experts call it as the beginning of a brand new era in world chess.

In the press meet after the victory, a soft-spoken young man of few words, Gukesh said: “Throughout the match I had several chances to clinch victories, and many of the games would have put me in the front foot quite seriously. But, once I was getting close, I was getting nervous, and I was not able to finish him off,” Gukesh told the BBC after the win…”…And then all of a sudden…it was a sudden change and I could not process all the new information so quickly.”

He is the 18th world champion. The first was won by Wilhelm Steinitz way back in 1886.

Ironically, an apparent fan of legendary, Bobby Fischer, he was asked after the draw of Game 4, if he, like the Russian champion, Garry Kasparov, has faith in numerology. He replied, with a smile: “I guess I should say I believe more in what Bobby Fischer had said (I believe in good moves). So I am just trying to make good moves.”

Himanshu Kumar is a Class 11 student of Dr BR Ambedkar School of Specialized Excellence (SoSE), Andrews Ganj, Delhi Board of Secondary Education, Delhi government.

Inputs by Amit Sengupta.