World Chess Champion D Gukesh "grateful" to be conferred with prestigious Khel Ratna

Earlier on January 2, the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports released a statement and announced the names of recipients of the prestigious National Sports Awards 2024.

Speaking to the reporters, D Gukesh pointed out that he will be the second Chess player after Viswanathan Anand to be awarded the Khel Ratna.

"...I am really grateful for the prestigious award and it's really special that I am the second Chess player after Vishi Anand Sir (Viswanathan Anand) to be awarded the Khel Ratna...," Gukesh told reporters.

Gukesh added that he would love to see Chess being part of the Olympics soon. He further added that Chess has been getting a lot of popularity recently.

"I would love to see Chess being part of the Olympics, especially if it's in India. I think Chess has been getting a lot of popularity and a lot of support. The Olympics will take it to the next level. Really looking forward to it," the World Chess Champion added.

Gukesh's success story was one of the major highlights of Indian sports in 2024. He made history in December by defeating China's Ding Liren in the decisive 14th game of the FIDE World Championship match in Singapore. The championship, tied at 6.5-6.5 heading into the final game, saw a stellar performance from Gukesh, who secured a 7.5-6.5 victory, becoming the youngest world champion ever at 18. He also became India's second world chess champion after Viswanathan Anand.

Meanwhile, Indian chess woman grandmaster Koneru Humpy spoke to the reporters and said that he is very happy to win the second World Rapid title.

"I am very happy to win the second World Rapid title and it's very special for me because the first one came in 2019, after a break from my chess career. As a mother, I feel it's a proud moment for every woman and I think this victory will inspire a lot of young girls to take up Chess as a profession and I would also to thank the Indian Govt and the PM - after my return from World Championship, I met him with my family...It was a very encouraging moment. So, I would thank him and also the Sports Ministry & the All India Chess Federation for this wonderful felicitation...," Humpy told reporters.

Earlier on December 29, Koneru Humpy on Sunday won the FIDE Women's World Rapid Championship in New York after beating Indonesia's Irene Sukandar with the black pieces in the final round of the tournament.

According to ESPN, it was Humpy's second world rapid title and the fourth time she has finished in the top three of the event. Previously, the Indian chess player won the title back in 2019.

Humpy sealed the title after finishing with a score of 8.5/11 in the final round of the tournament. As per ESPN, the Indian chess player achieved the milestone of becoming the second player to win multiple women's world rapid titles after China's Ju Wenjun. (ANI)