D Gukesh explains how he stayed calm amidst the storm of the candidates’ chess tournament – Firstpost
D Gukesh, 17, on Monday became the youngest person to win the Candidates Chess Tournament and will now face current world champion Ding Liren of China later this year for the world title.
Indian chess grandmaster D Gukesh, who recently won the FIDE Candidates Chess Tournament in Toronto, believes it is time for the ‘new generation’ to take over in the sport. Gukesh, 17, on Monday became the youngest person to win the Candidates Chess Tournament and will now face current world champion Ding Liren of China later this year for the world title.
“I think the new generation has been performing very well for some time. And this seems to be a huge moment in the move to Next Gen,” Gukesh said in an interview with the
Hindustan Times
.
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D Gukesh makes Magnus Carlsen eat his words with victory of chess candidates
Gukesh is only the second Indian after Viswanathan Anand to win the prestigious tournament and the impressive aspect of his campaign was that despite being only 17 years old, the boy from Chennai always remained calm and did not let pressure dictate the terms. Even when he needed a win or a draw in the final match to win the tournament, Gukesh kept his cool and played to a draw against world number 3 Hikaru Nakamura.
“I mean, it’s good to be ambitious, but ambition has to be controlled. You must do what is required of the position. That was my main goal. I was trying to do that throughout the tournament – just know what the position needs and play it accordingly. If it’s a draw, go for a draw. And if I have a chance, I take it. Mostly, I was trying not to do anything stupid,” Gukesh added while explaining his plans for the tournament.
Explaining further how he managed to stay calm throughout the tournament and concentrate on his work despite taking the lead, he said that he took help from yoga, but sticking largely to the things he always did had helped.
“I probably felt nervous. Fortunately, I managed to perform well throughout the tournament. I didn’t do anything different than usual, just things I’ve always done. I was really more sincere and focused this time. I meditated every day and did yoga. During the match, whenever I felt nervous, I took the time to calm down. It wasn’t easy to deal with… During tournaments, I find it easier to stay focused and just be serious. It comes naturally to me. After the tournament, of course, I was very happy.
