Chennai: Indian Grandmaster D Gukesh, who recently won the prestigious 2024 Candidates Chess tournament, was swamped by fans as he returned to an enthusiastic reception here on Thursday.
Gukesh became the youngest player to emerge triumphant in the Candidates tournament. He will now challenge the reigning world champion Ding Liren of China in the Crown clash later this year.
The 17-year-old received a grand reception from the hundreds of students from his school - Velammal Vidyalaya, the school where Gukesh studies, who were lined up at the airport at least one hour before his flight landed. A sizeable general crowd also built up as his arrival time drew closer and the area around the exit gate was jam-packed in no time. Gukesh arrived in Chennai around 3 am on Thursday.
The chess prodigy was immediately flanked by the jubilant mass. Soon after, he had garlands around his neck even as the police jostled to escort him out safely.
"I feel very happy for this homecoming, this is a special achievement. I was in a good space since the beginning of the tournament, I had full confidence that I will emerge top in this tournament and luck was on my side as well," Gukesh said while talking to the media at the airport.
"It's good to see so many people enjoy chess...I thank the Tamil Nadu government. I thank my Appa, Amma, coach, friends, family, sponsor and my school for being alongside me and playing an amazing role in helping me win this tournament," he added.
His mother Padma along with some other members of the family were present, to receive the young champion and his father Rajinikanth, who had travelled with the teen to Toronto for the tournament, at the airport. Gukesh had a huge grin when he spotted his family waiting for him.
"It is a very proud moment for us. We need some time to realise the importance of the achievements because it is very hectic till now," Rajinikanth said on arrival.
"It feels great. Viswanathan Anand is an inspiration to everyone. He has played a huge role in my career. I am really glad," Gukesh said, referring to the guidance provided by Anand in his formative years and also ahead of the Candidates.
The unassuming player became the youngest-ever challenger for the title by bettering the record created by the legendary Garry Kasparov 40 years ago. Kasparov was 20 when he became a challenger to the then-world champion Anatoly Karpov in 1984. The triumph entitles Gukesh to a clash against reigning world champion Ding Liren of China in the last quarter of the year.
Among the players Gukesh beat in Candidates was the 18-year-old R Praggnanandhaa, another prodigal talent to emerge from the city. In all, five Indians, three men and two women, competed in the tournament.
Gukesh has been making waves for quite a while now. He became India's youngest Grandmaster at 12 years, seven months and 17 days in January 2019. Currently, he has a FIDE rating of 2743, while his peak rating happens to be 2758, which he attained last September.
Gukesh is 16th in the FIDE Rankings at present, while his best ranking to date happens to be eighth, which he reached last September. Among his top recent performances was a silver medal at the Hangzhou Asian Games last year in the men's team category. (With PTI Inputs)
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