Indian Grandmaster D Gukesh created history on December 12, Thursday by becoming the youngest world chess champion at the age of 18. He defeated China's defending champion Ding Liren in the 14th and last game of the World Chess Championship took place in Singapore.
He becomes the second Indian after Viswanathan Anand to win the prestigious tournament. India waited for a long 11 years to find their next chess Champion. Gukesh registered the requisite 7.5 points as against 6.5 of Liren after winning the last classical time control game of the 14-game match that seemed headed for a draw for the most part.
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Soon after Gukesh's title-securing victory, fans started sharing the Chennai-based Chess star's old video where he had expressed his admiration for India's arguably best captain MS Dhoni, who has played a big part in his lift. The 18-year-old had called Dhoni as his inspiration alongside Tennis star Novak Djokovic. Here is the viral clip.
"When I was younger, it was Indian cricketer MS Dhoni, now it's Novak Djokovic. I think both are great athletes and I admire a lot of things about both of them. I think the way Dhoni and tennis great Novak Djokovic handle themselves under immense pressure, they are big-game players and always come out on top and bring out their best whenever needed. That is why I am attracted to them," Gukesh had told PTI.
Gukesh was seen following MS Dhoni's path of remaining calm during the entire event as the final was tied at 6.5-6.5 after 13 rounds. Gukesh hired mental conditioning coach Paddy Upton in October to help him with the tournament. Interestingly, Upton was the part of MS Dhoni-led ODI World Cup 2011 winning squad as their mental conditioning coach. He was also a part of India's hockey team during the 2024 Paris Olympics.
