FOR full forty years, the world waited for a youngster who could beat the record of the Russian Chess legend Garry Kasparov to have won the Candidates tournament at 22 years of age. And now we have the Indian Chess sensation and International Grandmaster D. Gukesh to win the prestigious event at the age of just 17 years. Some time later this year, Gukesh will pit himself against Chinese World Champion Ding Liren as a challenger. That will be a moment full of tremendous possibilities -- not just of the win in that clash, but also for countless other opportunities to keep excelling, and in the process becoming a global Chess icon. Every Indian is proud of D. Gukesh beyond words, beyond normal epithets of greatness. Of course, the 14-round clash with American Chess great Hikaru Nakamura was no cake-walk for Gukesh. It was certainly a roller-coaster ride, an up-and-down journey complete with frustration as well as inspiration. Each moment was tense, each move critical -- with even batting of an eye-lid being under the world’s close-up scanner. Gukesh did hold the promise of victory all right when he proceeded to meet his American rival in Toronto. Yet, as fortunes swung and sprit got challenged, the winner had to be a cooler of the two -- which D. Gukesh happened to be, to the relief and pride of every Indian.

 

Once again, India is seeing a great Chess promise emerge on the horizon -- after the iconic Vishwanathan Anand proved his mettle as the world’s best for long years. D. Gukesh will be the face of Indian chess from now on, and will become also an inspirational icon for the succeeding generations of chess players in the country. And beyond the boundaries of national pride, his name will travel and inspire countless numbers of young people the world over to play chess with greater focus and imagination. This is the importance of the metaphoric status of Gukesh. There is, of course, no doubt that at that awesome height of performance, Chess is possibly the world’s toughest game. For, what counts is thought -- which happens in the head and heart of the player but never in the limbs (like in most other sports). Yet, every move gets watched with such closeness that it baffles many a great player around the world. That tension becomes so heavy for most players to withstand that most of them even dread their upward journey to the final times of a tournament. In that zone of terrible tension and uncertainty, D. Gukesh held on to his own even when he received a couple of setbacks.

 

For, Hikaru Nakamura is not a player of whom some minion can make a light work -- so much so that many experts even considered the American as the favourite to win the coveted match. That was where the difference came to fore -- between two personalities. Even at 17 years of age, D. Gukesh proved to be a perfect iceberg -- cool and strong and with only the tip being visible and the real substance still under wraps. ...! For Hikaru Nakamura, the fight became truly difficult because Gukesh just refused to budge no matter the tight spots he found himself trapped in during the long encounter. But the manner in which the match proceeded showed that at critical points, the initiative was in Gukesh’s hand -- which he ably used and drew the final 14th round with strategic authenticity. In Chess, they say, the one who wins does so because he holds initiative his captive. D. Gukesh’s ascent to the top layer has endorsed the Indian signature on the game once again. A great future awaits him -- and Indian Chess. Deepest prayers of every Indian will be accompanying him all along -- as he walks the path to the clash with World Champion Ding Liren later.