FIRSTPOST EXCLUSIVE: D GUKESH OPENS UP ON HISTORIC CANDIDATES TRIUMPH, CREDITS PARENTS FOR BEING 'BIGGEST PILLARS OF SUPPORT'
In an exclusive conversation with Rupha Ramani on the latest episode of First Sports, chess prodigy Dommaraju Gukesh opened up his epic triumph at the recently-concluded Candidates Chess Tournament.
The 17-year-old Chennai native became the youngest winner in the history of the prestigious competition on Monday and earned the right to challenge China's Ding Liren for the 'World Chess Championship'. Speaking to Firstpost, Gukesh said he had been dreaming about the victory since he started playing chess at an early age.
"Winning the Candidates is something very very special. I’ve been dreaming about it since the time I started (playing chess). It’s a lot and I’m still taking it in. Really glad how things went," Gukesh said.
Also Read | Who is D Gukesh, youngest Candidates champion ever
Gukesh not only became the second Indian after chess legend Viswanathan Anand to win the Candidates tournament, he became the youngest winner of the tournament, breaking the record that had been set by Russian chess icon Garry Kasparov at the age of 24 and stood for 40 years.
When asked about the secret to his success at Candidates, the 17-year-old said being focused on his goal and staying motivated helped.
"I was in very good shape, was fully motivated and focused. I just wanted to be there and wanted to win it. I was very disciplined. When you are doing the right things for a long period of time, the results will come," Gukesh, who picked his defeat to Alireza Firouzja in the seventh round as the lowest moment of his campaign, added.
The youngster, who started playing chess at the age of seven and had already made up his mind about pursuing it professionally in his teens, credited his parents for being his "biggest pillars of support" and overcoming financial struggles to help him reach where he is today.
"My parents have been the biggest pillars of support right from the start. I haven’t really sacrificed much personally but what my parents and team have gone through, it’s much more than I can ever imagine. My father almost quit his practice. Both being doctors that is a difficult decision to make. My mother has to stay away from me whenever we travel, but she always manages to provide me emotional support.
"Few years back we also had a lot of financial problems and it was even hard to travel for tournaments. But my parents made sure it didn’t affect me and took all the burden of it and pulled through. I can never really repay them for what they have done," Gukesh added.
Watch the full interview here:
