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Gukesh closed his eyes. To meditate. To visualise the board and plan for moves ahead. His opponent, current world champion Ding Liren, was panicking. He was down on time. Ding was frustrated and trapped. The current world champion was done. For a young 18-year-old from India to do this to the might of China, it is an indication of how mature and strong Gukesh truly is. His win in game 3 of the World Chess Championship in Singapore on Wednesday is not a one-off. It is the result of beating the best and displaying magnificent performances over the last 7-8 months. Perhaps, the performance in game 3 has given Indian fans the license to dream.
From Toronto to Budapest and now Singapore. Gukesh exploits in 2024 have been remarkable. The Candidates success was sweet as he bettered the likes of great players like Ian Nepomniachtchi, Alireza Firoujza, Fabiano Caruana and Hikaru Nakamura to make the trip to Singapore.
In the Chess Olympiad in Budapest, Gukesh's sublime show against China's Wei Yi, where his accuracy and the ability make the correct moves in high pressure situations signalled his mentality monster bit. The success in Toronto, the blazing glory in Budapest and the brilliance in Singapore in game 3 is the prime reason why Gukesh is a special talent. That is why there is an increasing feeling that the World Championship could potentially come back home.
Gukesh bouncing back is nothing surprising
There is something about Gukesh which puts him in a different pedestal amongst the current golden generation of India's Chess. Praggnanandhaa, Vidit Gujrati and Arjun Erigaisi are all brilliant in their own ways. But, the calculating ability under pressure from Gukesh has redefined him in a brilliant way. Plus, getting Polish Grandmaster Grzegorz Gajewski as his second is an added bonus. Gajewski was one of the best opening game theorists and under him, Gukesh's preparation has improved leaps and bounds.
Arjun Erigaisi, when speaking exclusively to Sports Today, had stated that Gukesh's improved preparation in the last couple of years has been the ultimate difference maker. It is the calmness, surety in the opening preparation and the past brilliance that ensured Gukesh would bounce back despite the setback. In the Candidates, he lost round 7 to Alireza Firoujza. But, he did not panic and went on to win the Candidates.
Viswanathan Anand is an inspiration because he had the ability to bounce back in spectacular fashion. In 2010, he had lost the first game to Vaselin Topalov in the World Championships but leveled the contest back by winning game 2. In 2012, Anand lost game 7 to Boris Gelfand only to level things up by winning game 8 in just 17 moves in Moscow.
Gukesh bouncing back and levelling things is nothing new for him. The main challenge now is to ensure that he continues the momentum after the rest day. This is a golden opportunity for Indian chess to reclaim 12 years of lost ground. But, the path will not be easy. Gukesh will be facing a determined Ding Liren who will play his openings, middle games and end games in a far more determined and complicated manner. But, the signs to dream are really good.
This opinion piece above belongs to our inhouse senior sports journalist and chess expert Siddharth Vishwanathan.
