New Delhi, Jan 1 (IANS) The youngest-ever World Champion in the history of the game, Gukesh Dommaraju met with one of the leading business tycoons of the country, Gautam Adani, who heaped praise on the 18-year-old Indian Grandmaster for his tremendous achievement in the world of Chess.
Gukesh, who scripted history by becoming the youngest-ever World Champion in chess, beat Ding Liren of China in the 14-game match in Singapore. The 18-year-old from Chennai capitalised on a blunder by Ding in the winner-takes-all 14th game to dethrone the reigning champion, winning the match 7.5 to 6.5 and become the second Indian after Viswanathan Anand to become the World Champion in classical chess.
“It was an absolute privilege to meet and hear the victory story of reigning World Chess Champion @DGukesh. Equally inspiring was meeting his incredible parents, Dr. Rajinikanth and Dr. Padmavathi, whose quiet sacrifices laid the foundation for his success.
“At just 18, Gukesh’s poise and brilliance are a testament to India’s unstoppable youth. Prodigies like him are inspiring a new generation, building an army of champions ready to dominate global chess for decades. This is the confident, resurgent, and rising India. Jai Hind!,” read the post by Adani on X.
Gukesh broke the four-decade-old record of chess legend Garry Kasparov, who won the title in 1985 at the age of 22 years, 6 months, and 27 days. Gukesh is the second Indian to win the World Chess Championship title, claiming the title in just over a decade after five-time winner Viswanathan Anand had lost the title to Magnus Carlsen of Norway in Chennai in 2013. Carlsen abdicated the crown in 2023, paving the way for Ding to beat Ian Nepomniachtchi.
Adani’s prediction of Indian youngsters dominating chess has already begun with prodigious talents like Vaishali Rameshbabu, who has been awarded the title of Grandmaster by FIDE. Vaishali is the third Indian female Grandmaster, joining Koneru Humpy and Harika Dronavalli.
India’s chess team also made history at the 45th Chess Olympiad in Hungary, clinching gold in both the Open and Women’s sections. The women’s team secured the first-ever gold medal in this prestigious event. The year ended with Koneru Humpy regaining the Women’s World Rapid Chess Championship after a gap of five years and Vaishali bagging the bronze in World Blitz Chess Championship on the final day of the year. The 37-year-old Humpy from Vijayawada finished with 8.5 points after beating Indonesia’s Irene Sukandar in the final round in New York.
In his response, Gukesh thanked the chairman of the Adani Group for inviting him and hoped that Indian chess would grow further with his support.
“Thanks, @gautam_adani Sir for inviting and meeting us and enjoyed the interaction we had and (was) impressed by the interest and vision shown towards the betterment of our youth, talent recognition, and development! Hope Chess in our country gets a further boost with your support for the sport!” Gukesh said in his post on X.
–IANS
aaa/bsk/