E-Paper
D Gukesh reveals Viswanathan Anand’s ‘exclusive’ help in World Chess C’ship victory: ‘Helped me personally in getting…’
D Gukesh hailed Viswanathan Anand's impact on his career, and revealed how the chess legend personally helped him in his World C'ship victory.
D Gukesh is probably one of the most popular celebrities in India right now, due to his historic World Chess Championship victory in Singapore. The 18-year-old became the youngest-ever world chess champion, and India’s second-ever, after none other than legend Viswanathan Anand.
Gukesh defeated defending champion Ding Liren in dramatic fashion, with the championship reaching the decisive 14th game. It looked like it was going according to the Chinese grandmaster’s plan, who was trying to force out a tie-breaker. But a massive blunder by Liren in the 55th move saw him resign and concede to Gukesh, who failed to control his emotions.
Also Read: D Gukesh’s ex-teacher predicts another Carlsen-type controversy in indirect dig at American grandmaster: ‘The 2nd act’
Gukesh qualified for the title showdown after winning the Candidates Tournament in April, where he wasn’t the pre-favourite, and was expected to finish bottom of the pack. Other than being a child prodigy and now a world champion, Gukesh also has a strong team to rely on, which also includes his father.
How did Viswanathan Anand help D Gukesh?
Meanwhile, he also received mentorship and training from the face of Indian chess, Anand. In 2020, it was announced that the Westbridge Anand Chess Academy, which had been created, would be providing a fellowship to Gukesh, R Praggnanandhaa, Nihal Sarin, Raunak Sadhwani and Vaishali. The fellowship also saw them receive personal mentoring from Anand.
In an interview with India Today, Gukesh hailed Anand’s impact on his career, and revealed that the chess legend had ‘personally’ helped him in getting his chief trainer Grzegorz Gajewski ‘to work exclusively’ with him.
He said, “Since the start, he has been a god figure and a huge inspiration. Since WACA (Westbridge Anand Chess Academy), we have been training together regularly. He was always there to analyse games, get on a call to discuss something. We can’t thank Vishy Sir enough for the time he has given to the next generation. He helped me personally in getting Gayu (Polish GM Grzegorz Gajewski) to work exclusively as my coach.”
Since Gukesh’s victory, Gajewski has been lauded for his role as Gukesh’s chief trainer, and the Polish grandmaster has also received public recognition from Indian chess fans. Gukesh and his team decided to skip the year-ending Rapid and Blitz Championship, and the Indian chess star will return to action next year. In 2025, he is set to face the likes of Viswanathan Anand and Magnus Carlsen.
