Written By: Akshat Jain | Updated: Dec 12, 2024, 8:41 PM
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In this collection of pictures we shall take a look at some interesting facts about India's youngest world chess champion D Gukesh.
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India's D Gukesh defeated China's Ding Liren in the 14th round to secure the 2024 World Chess Championship title in Singapore
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Gukesh started learning chess at Velammal School in Chennai when he was seven. However, he stopped attending school after completing Standard 4. His talent was recognized by his first chess coach, Bhaskar V, when Gukesh was in Standard 1, during the extracurricular activities (ECA) session.
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As Gukesh's skills on the chessboard improved, he began training with grandmaster Vishnu Prasanna, who introduced an unconventional idea. Vishnu recommended that the 11-year-old Gukesh refrain from using chess engines, which are commonly used by players nowadays, until he reached a specific rating level. Gukesh accepted the suggestion.
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Gukesh has the chance to make history as the youngest world champion ever if he manages to defeat Ding Liren. Achieving historic milestones is not unfamiliar to him. In September of the previous year, Gukesh became India's highest-ranked player in the FIDE rankings, overtaking five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand. This marked the first time in more than 36 years that an Indian player had been ranked higher than Anand.
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Anand has guided Gukesh since his beginnings. The five-time world champion recommended that Gukesh begin training with Poland's Grzegorz Gajewski, who had previously been his own assistant.
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Before the World Chess Championship, Gukesh sought the expertise of acclaimed mental coach Paddy Upton, who had previously assisted the Indian cricket team in securing a World Cup title in 2011 and the Indian hockey team in winning a bronze at the Paris Olympics.
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English
