The only way to explain it is that I am living my dream: Gukesh

Singapore, Dec 12 (IANS) India's D. Gukesh, who on Thursday became the youngest World Chess Champion in Singapore, described his realisation of Ding Liren's error in the closing moments of Game 14 as "the best moment of my life." 

“Since the time I started playing chess when I was six or seven, I have been dreaming about living this moment for more than 10 years. Every chess player wants to experience this moment and very few get the chance. To be one of them, the only way to explain it is that I am living my dream,” said an emotional Gukesh after his historic win.

Gukesh became the youngest-ever World Chess Champion and only the second Indian to claim the prestigious title, following in the footsteps of Viswanathan Anand.

The championship match against reigning champion Ding Liren of China was a nail-biting 14-game series. With the score tied at 6.5-6.5, the final game became a test of nerves and skill. In a dramatic turn of events, Gukesh capitalized on a late blunder by Ding, who played Rf2, inadvertently trapping his bishop.

Reflecting on the critical moment, Gukesh said, “Actually, when he played Rf2, I didn’t realise, I was almost going to play Rb3 but then I saw that his bishop is actually getting trapped and after Ke1, I have Ke5 and the pawn ending which is winning. When I realised, it was probably the best moment of my life.”

Gukesh’s victory was not without heartfelt respect for his opponent. Speaking about Ding, he said, “We all know who Ding is and he has been one of the best players in history for several years. To see him struggling how much pressure he had to face, and the kind of fight he gave in this match, it shows what a true champion he is. For me, he is a real World champion.”

Ding himself reflected on the loss with grace, saying, “I think I played my best tournament of the year. It could be better, but considering yesterday’s lucky survival, it’s a fair result to lose in the end. I have no regrets.” He also clarified that retirement was not on his mind, promising to continue competing at the highest level.

For Gukesh, this victory was the culmination of more than a decade of hard work and a dream that began when he was just a child. “Since the time I started playing chess when I was six or seven, I have been dreaming about living this moment for more than 10 years. Every chess player wants to experience this moment and very few get the chance. To be one of them, the only way to explain it is that I am living my dream,” he said.

The triumph was particularly meaningful for Gukesh as he brought the world championship title back to India after 11 years.

He reminisced about witnessing Anand’s loss to Magnus Carlsen in Chennai in 2013, saying, “When I was watching the match in 2013, I was in the stands and looking inside the glass box and I thought it would be so cool to be inside one day. When Magnus won, I thought that I really wanted to be the one to bring back the title to India.”

After the game, Gukesh’s emotions spilt over as he came to terms with his monumental achievement.

“I probably got so emotional because I did not really expect to win that position. I was going to press for as long as I could possibly but I thought that we have been playing for five-six hours and it is going to end in a draw and let’s focus on the tiebreaks. But suddenly, I saw Rf2, I realised that it is actually done. I was already preparing myself to go through that huge tiebreak fight and suddenly, it was all over and I had achieved my dream.”

When asked about his first conversation with his mother after the victory, Gukesh shared, “We didn’t say anything. We were both crying but probably my first word was congratulations.”