Young Indian chess players and their parents woke up on Friday December 13 dreaming of their offspring achieving the same feat as Gukesh Dommaraju, 18, a local hero, who became the youngest world champion the day before.
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Gukesh surprised the Chinese Ding Liren by taking advantage of an error from his opponent on the 55th move to gain a decisive advantage and quickly force him to retire. He thus won the last game of the World Chess Championship in Singapore, the most prestigious title in chess.
Gukesh, moved, broke the record for precocity held by Russian Garry Kasparov, who won the title at the age of 22 in 1985.
He thus became the second Indian after Viswanathan Anand, five-time world champion, to win this title.
On Friday, India and its 1.4 billion cricket-loving inhabitants saluted this new hero and the coaches of this game hope that this victory will inspire vocations.
Also readAt 18, Indian Gukesh becomes youngest world chess champion
“ Most people prefer cricket in India, but Gukesh’s victory will serve as a catalyst for parents to get their children to play chess.Byomkesh, a chess coach who only goes by one name, told AFP.
The chess academy in the capital New Delhi was abuzz on Friday following Gukesh’s triumph, with students talking about his best moves.
“ Follow in his footsteps »
“ Gukesh is a hard-working player who played the World Championship smoothly after losing the first game and the 13 games he focused on », Says Mahir Taneja, 12 years old.
“I dream of becoming a world champion like him and following in his footsteps “.
Mahir’s fervor proved contagious for his family.
“I’m also learning a lot and yesterday, when I watched Gukesh win, I literally got goosebumps when my child came and told me the smallest details of each round of Gukesh and Ding », says Mani Taneja.
“It’s obviously a proud moment for all of us”.
Born to a doctor father and a microbiologist mother in the southern Indian city of Chennai, Gukesh became India’s youngest grandmaster at the age of 12 years, seven months and 17 days: it was only seventeen days before he broke the world record for precocity at this level.
Naturally shy and reserved, he created a sensation in April by becoming the youngest winner of the prestigious candidates tournament.
With this victory, his name suddenly started appearing in national dailies, alongside India’s best-known sports stars, such as cricket stars Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.
“Pursue our dreams »
Students at Gukesh’s school in his hometown of Chennai on Friday held up placards and pictures of the student-turned-champion.
“Gukesh, you have made us so proud and you inspire us to pursue our dreams and work harder,” says Emily Judith Samuel, 14.
“You set the world in checkmate… May success accompany you wherever you go “.
Another student, Bhavagna, says that “ Gukesh’s legacy will inspire and motivate the next generation of students. From classrooms to his chessboard, he taught us the true value of hard work “.
According to Indian media, Gukesh left full-time school at the age of 10 to devote more time to chess training.
The southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu announced a cash reward of $590,000 (562,000 euros) for Gukesh, on top of the $1.35 million he won in Singapore.