NEW DELHI: What began as a simple extracurricular activity in school evolved into a lifelong passion for D Gukesh and propelled him to become one of the world’s top chess players.
On Sunday, Grandmaster Gukesh led India to its first-ever gold in the ‘Open’ category at the Chess Olympiad in Budapest.
Gukesh’s childhood coach, V Bhaskar, discovered his talent at Velammal Vidyalaya when Gukesh was just seven years old.Bhaskar noted the young chess player’s early hunger to excel.
“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.
Gukesh, who is the third youngest Grandmaster in the history of chess, will compete against China’s Ding Liren for the world title later this year. Bhaskar mentioned that from an early age, Gukesh showed a tendency to experiment with his game.
“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 expressed his happiness at India’s gold medal win at the Olympiad, highlighting Gukesh’s significant contribution.
The 18-year-old won nine out of the ten matches he played, with one match 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.”
Double joy for Ramesh Babu
Ramesh Babu had a double reason to celebrate as his children, R Praggnanandhaa and R Vaishali, both clinched gold at world’s top biennial team chess event.
GM Praggnanandhaa was a key player in the men’s team, while his sister Vaishali contributed significantly to the women’s team’s victory.
“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.”
On Sunday, Grandmaster Gukesh led India to its first-ever gold in the ‘Open’ category at the Chess Olympiad in Budapest.
Gukesh’s childhood coach, V Bhaskar, discovered his talent at Velammal Vidyalaya when Gukesh was just seven years old.Bhaskar noted the young chess player’s early hunger to excel.
“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.
Gukesh, who is the third youngest Grandmaster in the history of chess, will compete against China’s Ding Liren for the world title later this year. Bhaskar mentioned that from an early age, Gukesh showed a tendency to experiment with his game.
“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 expressed his happiness at India’s gold medal win at the Olympiad, highlighting Gukesh’s significant contribution.
The 18-year-old won nine out of the ten matches he played, with one match 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.”
Double joy for Ramesh Babu
Ramesh Babu had a double reason to celebrate as his children, R Praggnanandhaa and R Vaishali, both clinched gold at world’s top biennial team chess event.
GM Praggnanandhaa was a key player in the men’s team, while his sister Vaishali contributed significantly to the women’s team’s victory.
“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.”