Draped in the Tricolour, a beaming Dommaraju Gukesh, the new and the youngest-ever world champion of chess, lifted the trophy in Singapore on Friday and the auditorium broke into a deafening applause.
The 18-year-old who defeated Ding Liren on Thursday to become the new king of the game, held aloft the trophy as he was almost invisible by the showering confetti.
“Congratulations our new world chess champion... Gukesh Dommmmmarajuuu”,” the announcer tried best to make himself audible amidst the claps.
“I mean, this moment, it feels like I have lived it a million times. Every morning when I woke up, this moment was the reason I woke up. To hold this trophy and this reality means more than anything else in my life,” Gukesh, who earlier revealed how his eyes were burning due to lack of sleep on Thursday night, said in his acceptance speech.
And then, as he took his seat in the front row, Gukesh passed on the trophy to his father Dr Rajini Kanth. A proud look at the coveted prize for a moment, the father gave it to Dr Padma Kumari, Gukesh’s mother. Dr Padma Kumari flew to Singapore on Friday to be a part of the closing ceremony.
“Thanks to my parents for all the support. There have been many ups and down, many challenges... and it has been beautiful because of the kind of people I have had with me,” Gukesh said.
In the hour of glory, the youngster showed exemplary humility and poise. He stayed grounded even when on top of the world.
“That’s the trait of a champion. I met him after the match, he was still humble. At his age, that’s something unbelievable,” Paddy Upton, the mental conditioning coach who worked with Gukesh in the build-up to the World Chess Championship, told The Telegraph from Singapore.
Paddy Upton mental conditioning coach of Gukesh
True. Gukesh did not forget to mention Ding’s valiant fight throughout the 14-game match even though the Chinese Grandmaster’s amateurish botch-up, playing with white on Thursday, gave the Chennai-based World No. 5 the trophy.
“Gukesh just got smarter and smarter as the game progressed,” was Upton’s observation.
Upton had a feeling that Gukesh would pull it off, so he did not want to miss out on the occasion. “I was there for the 13th and 14th games. It was worth a dash from Cape Town.” Upton said Gukesh showed great mental toughness even after being 1-0 down against Ding. “Praiseworthy.”
After the 12th game, Gukesh in his session with Upton spoke about his problem with getting a good night’s sleep. “We worked on sleep hygiene and reduced the air conditioner to 22 degrees from 24. Two degrees lower helped him.”
Gukesh’s name adds to the growing list of young sportspersons who are excelling for India. Double Paris Games medallist and shooter Manu Bhaker, javelin champion Neeraj Chopra, Grandmaster Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa... Confident and competitive, they do not get overawed by situations.
For someone who has worked with India’s 2011 World Cup-winning squad and the hockey team that grabbed bronze in the Paris Olympics, Upton said the new generation of Indians is not ready to bow down in front of their rivals.
“They give respect to their opponents but not undue respect. Gukesh is an example of India’s new-age sportspersons. They are here to stamp their class on the global stage.”
Spot on.
