Like all other Indians, you must have felt immense pride when our Chennai’s 18-year-old Grandmaster Dommaraju Gukesh became the youngest-ever World Chess Champion after beating Ding Liren of China in Singapore on December 12, 2024. The year 2024 couldn’t have ended better for India. After all, Gukesh brought back the World Chess Championship title to India, ending an 11-year wait after the five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand lost the title to Magnus Carlsen of Norway in 2013. In a game where experience counts more than raw talent and players are typically expected to peak in their late 20s, if not in their 30s, an 18-year-old boy accomplishing the feat of reaching the pinnacle of the game seems incredible even to the most avid chess minds in the world. Gukesh’s mesmerising world title win promises to place him in the league of the likes of Gary Kasparov, Carlsen and Mikhail Tal, who went on to become chess legends after winning their first world championship titles at the age of 22, 22 and 23, respectively. So, Gukesh’s victory is extraordinary and out of the box for Indians to feel so much elevated and proud.
But more than that, it embodies several inspiring lessons for everyone who aspires to achieve the apogee of success in their chosen field. It tells you that nothing is beyond your reach if you have the right approach, relentless dedication, an appetite for hard work, single-minded focus, endearing humility, a self-critical attitude, and an enormous capacity to learn and improve. Gukesh is a champion because he has everything one needs to become a champion. Even among the champions, how many do we have who dream of becoming a champion at the tender age of 7 and actually become one at the teenage of 18?
The dream was born when Gukesh, a 7-year-old rookie chess player, accompanied his father to watch Anand and Carlsen fight for the World Championship title in Chennai in 2013. The experience was inspiring enough for him to envision the dream. Had it been someone else in place of him, more often than not, he would have forgotten that dream with the flow of time. But Gukesh stopped attending the regular school after Class 5 to dedicate himself fully to the 64-square board game. The dream became more profound and specific when, in an interview after winning the U11 Indian Championship in 2017, he famously said, “I want to become the youngest world chess champion”. And by the end of 2024, he proved his words were not hollow. Just see the clarity of vision and consistency of thought Gukesh had throughout those years towards his goal. No big success can be achieved without this fiercely focused mind.
Another lesson Gukesh’s exceptional journey holds for every young success-seeker is never to get discouraged by any setback you receive on the way to your goal. Take them as a challenge to make a comeback with more flying colours. In the 2024 FIDE Men’s Candidates tournament, Gukesh did not let his loss to France’s Alireza Firouzja pull him down, successfully checkmated the challenges put up by the likes of American Hikaru Nakamura and Italian-American Fabiano Caruana, and finally succeeded in winning the tournament to become the youngest World Championship challenger. Even in the World Championship in Singapore, Gukesh started with a loss in the first game and then again in the 12th game. However, he showed patience and maturity beyond his years by remaining extremely focused. That focus is an acquired art. Gukesh has meticulously worked on mastering himself with mind and physical training. This is the secret of the calm demeanour you see on his face, even during the challenging moments in a game. As he says, “I like challenges, and I will try my best to figure things out and improve myself day by day. I want to be the best version of myself.”
Humility is an ornament of a true champion. Gukesh won many more hearts when, in his post-win press conference, he said, “Becoming the world champion does not mean that I am the best player in the world; that is Magnus Carlsen”, and the way Ding played “showed what a true champion he is”. He was immensely grateful to his parents, who “had to face a lot of financial struggles since we were not a very well-off family.” He is known to play three sets of tennis a day, seven days a week, to keep himself fit. A lover of the biographies of sporting greats, including Abhinav Bindra’s A Shot At History, Gukesh understands the significance of a healthy mind. You will find many inspiring insights if you go into Gukesh’s extraordinary journey. Your pride in Gukesh’s victory will become more meaningful when you draw lessons from his success and apply them in your life.
With these words, I wish you a very Happy New Year 2025 and success in all your endeavours.
