Gukesh says Viswanathan Anand's loss in 2013 inspired him to bring title back

Following his landmark victory in the International Chess Federation FIDE World Championship Indian chess sensation D Gukesh reflected on how Magnus Carlsenrsquos 2013 victory over former world champion Viswanathan Anand sparked his ambition to bring the title back to India Gukesh also revealed plans for a bungee jump to celebrate his triumph news agency ANI reportedOn Thursday Gukesh made history by becoming the youngestever FIDE World Chess Champion defeating Chinarsquos Ding Liren in the final game of the championship match Taking forward the incredible legacy of the great Viswanathan Anand Gukesh became only the second Indian to clinch the coveted prize after the iconic player who owned the crown five times in his careerDuring the postmatch press conference Gukesh said ldquoIn 2013 during the Chess World Championship in Chennai I looked at Vishy Sir Anand and Magnus Norwegian Grandmaster Magnus Carlsen and thought it would be really cool to be there one day To actually sit there and see the Indian flag next to me was probably the best moment of my life When Magnus won I thought I really want to be the one to bring the title back to IndiardquoldquoVishy Sir was never officially part of the team but we all know he was supporting me He attended one of the training camps and also helped remotely during a few sessionsrdquo Gukesh addedCongratulating Gukesh Anand wrote on X Congratulations Its a proud moment for chess a proud moment for India a proud moment for WACA and for me a very personal moment of pride Ding played a very exciting match and showed the champion he isCongratulations Its a proud moment for chess a proud moment for India a proud moment for WACA and for me a very personal moment of pride Ding played a very exciting match and showed the champion he isFIDE_chess WacaChess pictwittercomo3hq26JFPfmdash Viswanathan Anand vishy64theking December 12 2024Anand has played a mentors role in Gukeshs journey Its a proud moment for chess a proud moment for India and for me a very personal moment of pride Anand said of Thursdays win according to news agency AFPDing Liren is an incredible fighterThe world champion also introduced his team of trainers seconds and training partners including Grzegorz Gajewski Radoslaw Wojtaszek Pentala Harikrishna Vincent Keymer JanKrzysztof Duda and Jan Klimkowski He also credited mental trainer Paddy Upton who played a crucial role in Indiarsquos 2011 Cricket World Cup victory and the 2024 Paris Olympics hockey bronze ANI reportedSpeaking about his postvictory plans Gukesh said ldquoOn the penultimate rest day maybe after game nine we went for a walk on the beach We saw people doing bungee jumping and Gayu a teammate said If you win this thing I am going to jump off and do bungee jumping For some reason I said I would join too So now I think I will Maybe Paddy can join as well Im looking forward to jumping off a bridgeGukesh also recounted an emotional phone call with his mother after securing the title stating ldquoWe were both cryingrdquoReflecting on his journey to the championship Gukesh credited divine intervention for his success From failing to qualify for the 2024 FIDE Candidates Tournament to winning it and ultimately claiming the World Championship title he emphasised his belief in GodTo the youth Gukesh offered simple advice ldquoKeep enjoying chess You will achieve your dream one dayrdquoHe also praised his opponent Chinas Ding Liren calling him ldquoa real inspirationrdquo and added ldquoWhat I learned from Ding is what an incredible fighter he is True champions fight until the very endrdquoWould love to play against Magnus CarlsenWhen asked about the possibility of playing Carlsen for the world title in the future Gukesh stated ldquoItrsquos the toughest challenge in chess Itrsquos up to Magnus but I would love to test myself against the best player in the worldrdquoWith the scores tied at 6565 going into the final game Gukesh produced a stellar performance to seal his historic win concluding with a final score of 7565 This victory made him the 18th world chess champion in history according to FIDErsquos official websiteIn April Gukesh made history by winning the 2024 FIDE Candidates Chess Tournament becoming the youngestever challenger for the world title which was held by LirenOvercome with emotion after his win Gukesh described the achievement as ldquothe best moment of his liferdquoMeanwhile reflecting on the match Liren said ldquoI was totally in shock when I realised I made a blunder I will continue to play I think I played my best tournament of the year It could have been better but considering yesterdayrsquos lucky survival it is a fair result to lose in the end I have no regretsrdquoThe final game of the championship ended in a draw on Wednesday leaving the two players tied at 65 points each With one classical game remaining the title was decided by a single move or mistake The game lasted for 68 movesWith ANI inputs