D Gukesh opens up on contestants’ historic triumph, credits parents for being ‘biggest pillars of sup’ – Firstpost

In an exclusive conversation with Rupha Ramani on the latest episode of First sportschess prodigy Dommaraju Gukesh opened his epic triumph at the recently concluded Candidates Chess Tournament.

The 17-year-old from Chennai on Monday became the youngest winner in the history of this prestigious competition and earned the right to challenge China’s Ding Liren for the ‘World Chess Championship’. Talk to First positionGukesh said he dreamed of victory ever since he started playing chess at a very young age.

“Winning the Candidates is something very, very special. I’ve been dreaming about it since I started (playing chess). It’s a lot and I’m still enjoying it. I’m really happy with how things turned out,” Gukesh said.

Read also | Who is D Gukesh, the youngest contestant champion ever

Gukesh not only became the second Indian after chess legend Viswanathan Anand to win the Candidates tournament, but he also became the youngest winner of the tournament, breaking the record set by Russian chess icon Garry Kasparov at the aged 24 and which lasted 40 years. .

Asked about the secret to his success at the Candidates, the 17-year-old said being focused on his goal and staying motivated helped him.

“I was in great shape, fully motivated and focused. I just wanted to be there and I wanted to win it. I was very disciplined. When you do the right things for a long period of time, the results come,” added Gukesh, who chose his loss to Alireza Firouzja in the seventh round as the lowest moment of his campaign.

The youngster, who started playing chess at the age of seven and had already decided to pursue his career professionally as a teenager, admitted that his parents were his “biggest pillar of support” and that they had overcame his financial difficulties to help him reach where he is. Today.

“My parents were the biggest support from the beginning. I didn’t really sacrifice much personally, but what my parents and my team went through is so much more than I can imagine. My father almost stopped his practice. Both being doctors, it is a difficult decision to make. My mother has to stay away from me whenever we travel, but she always manages to give me emotional support.

“A few years ago we also had a lot of financial problems and it was even difficult to travel for tournaments. But my parents made sure it didn’t affect me, took all the burden and got through it. I can never really repay them for what they did,” Gukesh added.

Watch the full interview here: