'Longing for some rest': Young chess prodigy reflects on exhausting victory
Dommaraju Gukesh is tired. After three weeks of gruelling chess that ended in him becoming the youngest ever Candidates champion, all he wants to do is rest. But ever since he returned home after winning the Candidates – the second most-important chess tournament after the World Championship – celebrations haven’t stopped. Dutifully, he has done everything asked of him with a smile and not said no to anyone. Gukesh took some time out of his busy schedule to speak with BORIA MAJUMDAR. Excerpts
You are the Candidates champion at the age of 17. The youngest ever to win the tournament. Has that sunk in yet? Not really. We are longing for some rest and for things to settle down. Once that happens, I think the realisation will sink in. I haven’t really had time to process things yet.
When your father came running to give you the news, what was it like? Can you relive the moment once please? I was watching the Fabi-Nepo (Fabiano Caruana vs Ian Nepomniachtchi) match for a while and at one point I got really nervous. So, I stepped outside for a walk with (Polish grandmaster and Gukesh’s trainer Grzegorz) Gajewski. We were chatting when my father came running and said that I had won. It is difficult to describe the moment in words. We were laughing, hugging each other, screaming and doing all sorts of thing. It was the most beautiful moment in my three weeks in Toronto.
When you went Canada for the tournament, what was your thought process like? For me it is always about the process, to prepare the best that I can. I was
