How an extra-curricular activity sparked D Gukesh's passion for chess

D Gukesh (Pic: AFP)

It all started as an extra-curricular activity in school, which later became a life-long passion for D Gukesh and led to him becoming one of the best chess exponents in the world.

Grandmaster Gukesh, on Sunday, made history by leading India to its first-ever chess Olympiad gold in the 'Open' category in Budapest.

Gukesh's childhood coach, V Bhaskar, who spotted his talent at the Velammal Vidyalaya when he was just seven years old, said he saw in him the hunger to excel at a very tender age.

"We started when he (Gukesh) was in class 1 at Velammal Vidyalaya. He used to come for extracurricular activities. I saw a spark in him at the age of seven and asked him to come for personal training, and we worked for many years," said Bhaskar about the third-youngest GM in history of the game, who will compete against Ding Liren of China for the world title later this year.

Bhaskar added that Gukesh was indeed a child prodigy who liked to experiment with his game from early days.

"He started doing too much, and I was very happy that he became the third youngest Grandmaster in the world. I felt so happy when he won the Candidates in Toronto and earned the right to challenge world champion Ding later this year in Singapore."

Bhaskar is also happy that Gukesh's contribution played a key role in India winning the gold medal at the Chess Olympiad. The 18-year-old won nine of the 10 Chess Olympiad matches he played with one ending in a draw.

"It is the first time the Indian (men's and women's) teams have won, and his (Gukesh's) wins against the opponents assured the gold in the 'Open' category. I am extremely happy for the whole team, particularly for Gukesh, and my best wishes for him to see him as the youngest world champion."

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There was double joy for Ramesh Babu, the father of R Praggnanandhaa and R Vaishali, as both his children won gold in the most prestigious biennial team chess event in the world.

While GM Praggnanandhaa was an integral part of the men's team, his elder sister Vaishali also played a key role in the women's title triumph.

"We are very proud (of Praggnanandhaa). My daughter Vaishali's team also won the gold medal, so we're happy about that as well," said Ramesh Babu.

"All the team players have done very well and won gold medals."

He added that the success of Indian chess players had given a huge boost to the game in the country.

"Nowadays, chess has become very popular after cricket. More and more people are getting interested. Apart from academics, playing chess is becoming a part of their career. Youngsters are taking it up as a career."

He added that both Praggnanandhaa and Vaishali were aiming for more success in their career.

"Every chess player wants to become a world champion, and they (Vaishali and Praggnanandhaa) have to improve their rating. So, that is their aim right now."

(With agency inputs)