Almost each passenger exiting the international terminus at the Chennai International Airport had a quizzical expression as scores of cameramen waited. Those sleepy, tired eyes opened wide at the sight of 80 school students, who formed a guard of honour to welcome one of their own, D Gukesh, who returned to Chennai after winning the Candidates chess tournament in Canada.
As the clock struck 3 am on Thursday, Gukesh — with his father Dr Rajinikanth by his side — came out in his blue blazer with a yellow turban sitting perfectly on top of his head. Within moments, he would be swallowed by all the chaos and commotion. For a 17-year-old who took rapid strides on the chess board, it took him more than five minutes to cover a five metre distance, where All India Chess Federation (AICF) officials and Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu (SDAT) officials welcomed him home.
And moments after Gukesh positioned himself to address the media, he would step away from the cameras in a flash at the first sight of his mother, Padma. She would embrace him tightly and kiss him on his cheeks and Gukesh would return the gift straightaway.
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“I couldn’t have asked for a better homecoming,” the 17-year-old Gukesh would say before taking a pause. “It is a special achievement for me. I was in good shape throughout the tournament. Though the seventh round loss was a blow, I was able to get out of it as I was in a good frame of mind. From the beginning I was fully confident that I could win the Candidates and it went accordingly with luck on my side,” he added.
As the camera shutter sounds hung in the air, his coach Vishnu Prasanna stood at one corner with a proud look on his face. Five months ago with Gukesh still not confirmed of the Candidates berth, Prasanna had combined with Polish GM Grzegorz Gajewski to prepare Gukesh for the Chennai Grand Masters. A last round victory at his hometown booked his spot for the Candidates, which he won last Sunday, to set up a World Championship contest with China’s Ding Liren.
Schoolkids wearing facemasks of Gukesh at Chennai airport waiting to welcome the 17-year-old. (PHOTO: Venkata Krishna B)
“The pressure was getting to him so much that he would lock himself in the room,” Gukesh’s mother Padma told The Indian Express. “As parents, our primary focus was to get his confidence back and not to worry about titles. It was not just a new phase for him, but also for us. We kept reminding him that even if he didn’t make it to Candidates, nothing around us would change,” she said.
LISTEN: This week’s Game Time podcast is on Gukesh’s rise
And once Gukesh found the much-needed confidence back, he rediscovered himself in the lead-up to the Candidates. If Prasanna made Gukesh watch the story of American ultra-marathon runner Courtney Dauwalter, his parents had other reasons to worry. Not many friends to hang out with meant that Gukesh was often locking himself up in his room and just sticking to his routines, which includes meditation and yoga. So to take his mind off chess, Rajinikanth and Padma would enroll him in a tennis academy close to their neighbourhood.
“Even though we were not bothering him with chess, it was getting too serious. So we thought tennis would help him to relax and find a new world. Until he was here, he would play tennis everyday in the evening. And he managed to find friends at the club, with whom he started hanging out a lot. It gave him time to socialise, which really took all the pressure out of him,” Padma said.
India could host Gukesh vs Ding Liren battle
Interestingly, this phase also happened to be one where Gukesh focussed less on chess. Apart from tennis and hanging out with friends, he would fix his circadian rhythm. “Gukesh has his own routines, which even we don’t know. He prefers doing certain things at a particular time and he didn’t want to miss those for any reason. So he stuck to a routine and by the time he went to Candidates, it became normal for him. And even with his coaches, he was picking new places to train every day so that everything seemed natural, rather than a planned training program,” she said.
The one lingering question on everyone’s lips in Chennai is whether the city will play host to Gukesh’s World Championship showdown with Ding Liren. AICF treasurer Dharmendra Kumar, who was at the airport to welcome Gukesh said that they are in discussions with FIDE to host the event. “We are definitely interested and there is no question about it. The process will begin soon and once we get the go ahead, then we will decide about the venue. One also has to keep in mind the geopolitics of it,” Kumar told The Indian Express.
The Tamil Nadu government, which hosted the World Championship contest between Viswanathan Anand and Magnus Carlsen in 2013, has expressed its interest to host the event this time as well. “It is a bit early to say. I would be happy to have the World Championship anywhere. Liren is a strong player, but I have full belief that I can beat him. I will prepare well for him. Waiting eagerly for the World Championship,” Gukesh said.
For the next few days Gukesh’s plans are rather simple. Before boarding the flight from Canada, he asked his mother to prepare chapati and tomato thokku. “Since he mostly eats meat while travelling, when he is at home, he prefers only vegetarian food. He wants lemon rice and puliyodharai for lunch,” Padma said.
