- The Indian sporting enthusiasts, fans, and connoisseurs rarely get an opportunity to soak in the glory. Yes, sporadic triumphs in the sporting arena, including the scarce success at the pinnacle of sporting events like the Olympics, would bring tremendous joy to the entire nation. We have basked in the glory of Abhinav Bindra winning the gold in the Beijing Olympics. Of course, the nation erupted in absolute delight when the champion javelin thrower Niraj Chopra won the gold in the Tokyo Olympics. Interspersed with silvers and bronze medals in the succeeding Olympics did bring a wave of joy around the country making us all proud. Cricket needs no further elaboration as the sport commands such following and popularity in the country.
PC: The Indian Express
- As you are aware, chess as a sport originated in India and has established a great following around the country and beyond courtesy of the legendary Vishwanathan Anand. The emergence of Dommaraju Gukesh as the brand-new world champion in chess shows just raw talent doesn’t make you a winner. It also shows that Gukesh shows why being fiercely focused is so important. For the uninitiated, Gukesh went into the final of April’s Candidates chess tournament – where the world champion’s challenger is chosen – as an underdog, with one bit of friendly advice from 5-time champion Magnus Carlsen: Just don’t do anything crazy. Let your opponents do the crazy things. That’s a piece of sage advice coming from a true champion.
- Gukesh, then 17, came out of the youngest challenger ever, and yesterday, he let Chinese CM and world champion Ding Liren blunder in the final minutes of their 14th and final round to become the youngest world champion at 18. It’s only the second time an Indian has won the title. Vishwanathan Anand won the first of his five in 2000, but he already had 30 summers behind him. In a game where experience perhaps counts more than raw talent – experts say chess players peak in their 30s – 18-year-old Gukesh’s triumph suggests a long career in chess’s top echelons The previous youngest world champion, Garry Kasparov, had started his long reign at 22. Notably, Gukesh held his nerve to the end of the match when both Ding and he had 6.5 points each.
PC: Mint
- Indeed, it shows the new king is cast in steel. Gukesh’s genius became apparent when he qualified as grandmaster at 12. And he’s regularly shown his resilience in tournaments ever since. In the whirlwind mood of Candidates earlier this year, he didn’t let his loss to France’s Alireza Firouzja pull him down. He had been leading when he blundered in the final seconds – the game was his to lose – and got checkmated. But Gukesh didn’t beat his head, spending the night mopping up the spilt milk. He won his remaining matches in a streak. In the world championship, he started with a loss, and then lost again in Game 12, but showed maturity beyond his years by remaining focused. Many congratulations to Gukesh! May he usher in many more laurels to the country!
