Dhoni-Djokovic's pressure-soaking ability attracts chess sensation Gukesh

Indias latest chess sensation D Gukesh admires the way charismatic former India skipper MS Dhoni and iconic tennis player Novak Djokovic soak intense pressure saying he gets inspired by that special trait of the two special athletesGukesh 17 scripted history by winning the Candidates Chess Tournament in Toronto recently to become the youngest ever challenger to the world title bettering a record created by the legendary Garry Kasparov 40 years agoThe triumph entitles Gukesh a clash against reigning world champion Ding Liren of China in the last quarter of the yearThe Chennaibased teen bettered Kasparovs record by quite a distance as the Russian great was 22 when he qualified in 1984 to clash with compatriot Anatoly KarpovGukesh on his return after winning the Candidates told PTI I think the way Dhoni and tennis great Novak Djokovic handle themselves under immense pressure they are biggame players and always come out on top and bring out their best whenever needed That is why I am attracted to themWhile Dhoni the former India and Chennai Super Kings skipper led India to twin World Cup successes and five IPL titles Serbias Djokovic has won a record 24 Grand Slam titles and has enough in the tank to win a few moreNorwegian chess great Magnus Carlsen the fivetime world champion who forfeited his qualification spot for 2024 citing the lack of motivation in playing the longer version of the game in the existing tournament structure has been a motivation for several youngsters and Gukesh is one of themThere are a lot of things you can learn from him Carlsen Not just chess but also the mental attitude He has one of the best mentalities in the world in any sport I would sayThe champion Grandmaster added that all chess players would have felt nervous during their careers but with experience they learn to handle itWe all get nervous and with experience we all learn how to deal with it Yeah I guess some maturity and practiceAlso Read Gukesh has arrived and howGukesh is looking forward to the challenge from reigning world champion Ding Liren and says his preparations will for the summit clash will start soon The All India Chess Federation AICF is exploring the possibility of hosting the world title contest in the countryMy training for the final will start soon and I hope it will be very enjoyableThe legendary Kasparov lauded Gukeshs feat in the Candidates Chess Tournament saying the teenaged GM was the Indian earthquake in TorontoThe Chennai lad said it means a lot to himKasparov is one of my heroes and one of the greatest chess players of all time and to get a huge compliment and notice from him it really means a lot he saidOn cricket Gukesh said he hadnt been following cricket lately but he was an avid sports loverRecently I havent followed cricket a lot But I enjoy all kinds of sports especially tennis I like to play some sports and generally I am just in love with sports he saidWith agency inputs