India’s sporting history witnessed a watershed moment on Thursday as Gukesh D became the youngest world champion in the history of chess. Gukesh defeated China’s Ding Liren in the 14th and final round to etch his name in history. However, until the final moments of the game, it didn’t look like Gukesh was going to clinch the title, with the game being deadlocked. However, a ‘blunder’ by Liren allowed Gukesh the opportunity to make the title his own. The manner in which the final concluded, however, left the great Viswanathan Anand surprised.
In a conversation with NDTV, Anand admitted that he didn’t expect Gukesh to take the title home on Thursday, thinking the game would be decided in a tie-breaker on Friday. However, what happened left him pleasantly surprised.
“It’s a little bit historic and a little bit of a surprise. Historic because he is the youngest world champion in history. Surprise because 20 minutes before the end, it didn’t look like it (the championship title) is going to be decided today. We thought there would be a tiebreaker. A very very pleasant surprise,” Viswanathan Anand said in an exclusive interview.
When asked about Gukesh’s biggest strength, Anand said that he has a little bit of everything.
“You have to do well in everything. You, as a person, grow and overcome all the challenges. He managed to do that. He was very focused and dedicated. He was rewarded for that today,” the chess icon asserted.
Viswanathan Anand himself is a five-time world champion who lost his title to Magnus Carlsen in 2013. Reflecting on the legacy created by India’s chess legend, Gukesh recalled watching his pivotal match against the Norwegian and how it inspired him.
“11 years ago, the title was taken away from India. When I was watching the match in 2013, I was inside the stands and I thought that it would be so cool to be inside the box,” Gukesh said after bringing the title back to India.
Gukesh also admitted that the wasn’t expecting Ding to make that error.
“I got a bit emotional because I was not expecting to win. But then I got a chance to press on,” he said.
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