The final round of the Candidates has only one active game remaining. 35 minutes ago, India's D Gukesh had done what he had to do. Avoid defeat to Hikaru Nakamura and go to nine points in the Candidates tournament. Now, a billion eyes and hopes were pinned on this game that had no Indians. The reason? Victory for Ian Nepomniachtchi or Fabiano Caruana could push Gukesh's Candidates title hopefuls into the tiebreak the following day. But, this was pressure. Two legends - one always over 2800 ELO and the other gunning for a hat-trick of Candidates titles.
Caruana blundered the advantage and got it to a stalemate. Nepomniachtchi also blundered. The roller-coaster journey has absolutely wrenched the nerves of the Indian Chess fan. Minutes seem like hours. Every move, there is unbearable tension. 109 moves later, both Nepo and Fabi are disappointed and exhausted. Like warriors, they tried to break each other's defence but failed. With the energy and soul having left them, they shook hands. The hall erupted. For India, it was time for celebrations. After a decade, India finally had a Chess Grandmaster who had won a major tournament. The torch that Viswanathan Anand had lit, the path was now getting illuminated. Gukesh, at age 17 years and 11 days, was crowned the Candidates Champion. The youngest-ever. Now, he is a World Championship contender.
Four hours later, speaking to Sports Today, he was still coming to terms with the magnitude of the achievement. "I have not yet realised the magnitude of this," Gukesh admitted. For many Indians, the magnitude of the achievement will not have sunk in.
INDIA'S PESSIMISTIC OUTLOOK IN A LOST DECADE
The Candidates tournament is second in prestige only to the World Championships in Chess. Eight players, coming through brutal qualifying systems in the form of World Cups, Circuit tours all fight for just eight spots. Candidates is the creme-de-la-creme, meaning the best players in the best tournament.
For India and their sporting culture, it was yet another test in what can be dubbed as a lost decade. The country's cricket team, both men and women have not given much joy to the nation since 2013 in major ICC events. Bilaterals, they have been kings but it is not enough. Neeraj Chopra in all international events, the Badminton team in the Thomas Cup, perhaps Vishy Anand becoming World Rapid Champion in 2017, improved showing in Commonwealth and Asian Games are some of the genuine moments of epoch-making in India.
Not many expected Gukesh to do well. Humans, technology, the general mood and perception placed him at the bottom of the tier when it came to success. Gukesh was the last Indian to make it to the Candidates in the Open category, having not done well in the other qualifying events. But, with three Indians in the fray out of eight, you expected a 33.33 per cent chance that one of them will win. Those numbers did not register yet, with the Indian public.
GUKESH BEGINS PROJECT MIRACLE
Slowly but surely, for the youngster who idolises MS Dhoni and Novak Djokovic, the first signs of a miracle was unfolding. Gukesh did not suffer a single defeat against the Big 3 of Hikaru Nakamura, Ian Nepomniachtchi and Fabiano Caruana. He only had one defeat against Alireza Firoujza and that too, it fired him up for success. Gukesh's solid planning in the opening, great execution in the middle and end games, were the key factors behind the success. Yes, there was one area of vulnerability. When the pressure was on, he did look at the other board where Nepo and Caruana had a slugfest. That distracted him. It could have worked on that day. On other days, it might come back to hurt him.
The reception that Gukesh got after the win, the emotions that poured out, summed up the expectations. From 2014 till now, it has been a decade of lost opportunities for Indian cricket with the India senior women and men's team giving consistent heartbreaks. Other sports have stepped up in the void. The India badminton team in the Thomas Cup, the men's Hockey team ending a 41-year Olympic jinx and Neeraj Chopra giving us consistent glory. The improved medal haul in the Commonwealth and Asian Games is only proof that India's other sports are slowly but surely improving. Yes, challenges remaining and we still lag behind other nations. But, when these kind of events happen, it is important to build on it.
Viswanathan Anand's success has allowed this generation of players like Praggnanandhaa, Gukesh and Vidit Gujrathi to achieve something spectacular. Now, with Gukesh's success, the challenge to build on that is paramount. Only then, the success will be sweeter.
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