Toronto (Canada)/Hyderabad: The 17-year-old prodigy India's Grandmaster (GM) D Gukesh, who became the youngest player to win the International Chess Federation (FIDE) Chess Candidates tournament, asserted that the setback in the seventh round due to one mistake against Iran's Firouzja Alireza motivated him for the final round.
Gukesh, who hails from Chennai, drew his 14th and final round match against veteran American GM Hikaru Nakamura to win the prestigious tournament and become the youngest challenger for the world championship title. He will take on current world champion China's Ding Liren in that match later this year.
Speaking exclusively to ETV Bharat from Canada on his incredible achievement, Gukesh said, "This is a very special achievement. I have gained very good memories throughout this tournament. The tournament process was better than I had hoped. In front of the chess board, I was sharp."
"Starting to end I have played a very good game. Only in the seventh round did I face a setback due to one mistake. But I considered that as a motivation for the next game, thereafter I concentrated on not repeating the mistake. It's a long tournament. Probabilities for ups and downs are high, but my mental state was perfect," he added.
Gukesh became only the second Indian after five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand to win the Candidates. In the process, he bettered a 40-year-old record set by the great Garry Kasparov, who became the youngest to challenge for the world title in 1984 at the age of 22.
The 17-year-old also thanked the Tamil Nadu government for all the support they provided to him and the initiative in which they have started to produce more talent from the state.
"The Tamil Nadu government helps a lot with chess. They have taken an initiative through the Chennai Grandmasters tournament, which was helpful to me to grab this chance. Not only that, they are supportive of players. Thanks to the Tamil Nadu government," he added.
On what will be his plan for the World title match against the formidable rival China's Liren, he said, "For World Championship preparation may vary but, my approach will be the same. Will face the game with good preparation. Giving my absolute best is my approach. For that, I will ensure my mental status is in good shape. I have yet to decide on a strategy."
Gukesh also mentioned that anybody who loves playing chess can take up this game and learn a lot of things. "Anybody can play chess. You have a lot of things to learn from chess. Chess is a beautiful game, if you enjoy the game, you can learn new things daily," he concluded.
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