December 12 will forever be etched in the memory of Indian sports as a golden moment. After 11 years, the World Chess Championships came back home to India. A sport that was invented in India - the name being either Chaturangham or Shatranj - to not have a world champion for a long time was a thorny issue. But, on the evening of December 12, India's Gukesh at the age of 18 became the youngest Chess Champion. In trivia quizzes, the question when it came to Chess was how many world champions has India produced? The answer was Viswanathan Anand. End of list. Now, on December 12, it is Viswanathan Anand plus Gukesh.
In India, when a sportsman wins on a consistent basis in sports other than cricket, the sport remains relevant. Abhinav Bindra's gold in 2008 Beijing ensured there was a shooting revolution. Javelin became popular because of Neeraj Chopra's gold in Tokyo 2021. Chess was ingrained in the minds of a billion Indians thanks to Viswanathan Anand's brilliance for three decades. But, when he lost in 2013, there was a threat that chess would fizzle out in popularity. Gukesh's win, though, has ensured that the revival in Chess is well and truly on.
ALSO READ: Champions Trophy 2025 to happen in T20 format? ICC might take this step due to this reason
ALSO READ: Virat Kohli's IPL rival creates bizarre moment, bowls 13 balls in a single over
Gukesh's long journey
Prior to the Candidates in 2024, there was a viral reel shared by Chessbase India. Gukesh, at that time 10 years of age, dreamt of becoming the World Champion. Seven years later, he would achieve his destiny in a dramatic way.
Normally, a flight journey from Chennai to Singapore would take four hours. For India Chess fans, it took 11 years. When Anand lost to Magnus Carlsen in the 2013 World Championships, there was a cloud of gloom in sport. With Magnus dominating and India's chess players falling behind, a decade of despair ensured.
But, the new generation changed all that. Praggnanandhaa beating Magnus Carlsen consistently plus reaching the World Cup final. Vidit Gujrathi doing well in the Grand Swiss. Gukesh is on top of the FIDE circuit. All these three Indians had to make major detours in the quest to Singapore. Gukesh's first detour in Toronto saw him win the Candidates title and challenge Ding Liren for the World Chess Championships.
Then, a glorious halt in Budapest saw Gukesh win individual and team gold as India continued to have glory. His win against Wei Yi sent a clear message to China that he was not backing down. This was a new India, not scared of the world and taking on the challenges.
In the World Championships in Singapore, Gukesh was undaunted by the loss in Game 1 and Game 12. He held his nerve and managed to ensure Ding was under pressure each time. With Ding's style, a blunder was always coming. Gukesh just had to be patient and he capitalised on the opportunity.
Gukesh's win will go a long way in India's chess history. That is what Viswanathan Anand told India Today exclusively. Now, Gukesh's win has given new India reasons to continue their dream of greater things.
This opinion piece above belongs to senior sports journalist and chess expert Siddharth Vishwanathan.
