"Goes beyond realm of chess....": Srinath hails Gukesh's FIDE World Championship triumph

Gukesh made history on Thursday by becoming the youngest champion in the sport's history, defeating China's Ding Liren in the final game of their FIDE World Championship match.

Speaking to ANI, Srinath, who was part of the historic Chess Olympiad gold medal-winning team with Gukesh, said, "It is a very proud moment. I am so happy to be a part of the people witnessing it live as a part of the chess community, witnessing it, as part of, being another Indian. I feel that, it is an incredible milestone, no doubt, but it also goes beyond that. It goes beyond the realm of chess."

"Wins like this, it bring an entire nation together in joy, in celebration. We have seen this several times in Indian sports. We saw it when India won the 1983 World Cup back, the 2011 World Cup and when Viswanathan Anand became world champion. We lost this world championship title about 11 years ago (Anand to Magnus Carlsen in 2013), and I am really happy and pleased that it has come back to us," he added.

Srinath also expressed optimism that such a win will popularise chess even further, noting that the game is already enjoying a surge in popularity in the 2020s after COVID-19, which confined people to their houses and brought them closer to indoor and board games as a timepass/hobby.

"Chess is one of those things which does not require the kind of infrastructure that some of the other physical sports require. It does not need a track and field or a massive stadium. All you need is a phone and data, which a lot of Indians have, and thereby it gives, I think India an advantage because we have the advantage of numbers and there is the advantage of the talent pool."

He added, "So I feel that, uh, this will definitely make, you know, chess more popular within India and in general, uh, across the world as well, because an 18 year old world champion is a role model, not just in India or a specific region. It will also have a ripple effect across the world. And it has become a common sight for me to, when I go on a flight, when I go to a cafe, to actually see people have chess on their phones. Uh, they are playing chess. Sometimes they are, you know, watching chess, but it is a very common sight when I see about 500 or 1000 people in any gathering, I least see a few people having chess on their phones. So the numbers are rising, and I am sure this will give a big momentum for the numbers to rise even further," he added.

Srinath noted that during the Chess Olympiad, Gukesh was mainly focused on the Olympiad only and securing the landmark gold medal. He also said that he did not feel the need to tell Gukesh anything else other than "all the best" as he feels the 18-year-old has things "sorted in his head" and is surrounded by trainers and other people in his team who are looking after him well.

"In this kind of situations, I feel that the best thing one can do is, not to, just spoil anything or add anything. So I very consciously refrained from, you know, discussing anything in particular with regard to the match, and I just observed him and I felt there was absolutely nothing required to be added. I felt very confident and sure in his chances, in his ability, and also in his ability not just to play chess well, but also, handle his mindset and carry himself," he added.

With two Chess Olympiad golds in men's and women's categories, a world title win and many players touching landmark rating points, Srinath feels that 2024 is one of the best years of Indian chess. He also noted that chess has witnessed the entry of many new fans over the last four years, who might not know the history of the sport too much, but love following, watching and playing chess.

Srinath feels that this "revolution" can only get better, like the popularity of cricket did in the 90s after the arrival of TVs in India in big numbers.

"But, having said that, it can go from strength to strength, like how cricket grew when the TV revolution began in the 90s and at one point everyone was watching cricket. And then it kept going, growing from strength to strength and now it is at a completely unimaginable place to what it would have been in the 80s and 90s. Uh, so chess can also similarly grow from strength to strength. I feel the revolution already began a few years ago, but all of these victories, all of these, uh, you know, uh, sweet moments, uh, they have the ability to take it to further heights," he added.

Srinath acknowledged that all the entities, including central and state (Tamil Nadu government), corporates etc have played a big role in the rise of Indian chess over the years and in Gukesh's title win. He pointed out how the Tamil Nadu government helped in organising the 2022 Chess Olympiad where Gukesh did well and it gave him his first taste of the international arena and the 2023 Chennai Grand Masters tournament which helped Gukesh qualify for the FIDE Candidates 2024 tournament, in which he won to earn a place in the world title clash.

"With regard to the central government, there again, there are various schemes from the Ministry of Youth and Sports Affairs. And Prime Minister Narendra Modi inviting us to his residence after the Olympiad was also a major recognition for the achievements of the players and the team as a whole."

In terms of private sponsors, uh, at this point, Gukesh, Praggananadha, Arjun Erigaisi, the top Indian players and some of the upcoming players have a pretty decent financial support from the corporates, which is a major help in moving forward to where they have reached till this point and also in being able to sustain themselves at this level."

And um I feel that there is a lot, lot of scope to, of course, uh, get better in all these aspects, especially with a view for the next generation to come up at the same speed and keep that talent line going. I feel there is, there is a lot of potential to improve on these aspects. But having said that, uh, there's hardly anything we can complain about with the level of facilities, which are there at this moment. I feel it has contributed significantly to the successes of this existing generation and a few of the previous generations who could, be a stepping stone. And Like with everything else, there is ample room for improvement, but, we are very grateful for the support from the different avenues that we have received so far," he concluded.

The championship, which was tied at 6.5-6.5 heading into the final game, culminated in a stellar performance by Gukesh, securing a 7.5-6.5 victory over Ding Liren, according to FIDE's official website.

The official X handle of FIDE declared, "Gukesh D is the YOUNGEST WORLD CHAMPION in history!"

Overwhelmed with emotion after his victory, Gukesh described it as the "best moment of his life" during the post-match press conference.

This thrilling finale capped an intense series, with Game 13 ending in a draw and setting the stage for the decisive final round. Ultimately, Gukesh's composure and skill earned him the title, further solidifying India's dominance in the chess world. (ANI)