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Chess World Championship: I’m preparing for Ding at his best, says Gukesh

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Chess World Championship: I’m preparing for Ding at his best, says Gukesh

The 18-year-old Indian GM believes his age offers him the advantage of energy and the ability to focus for extended periods

Bengaluru: It’s perhaps not the most natural thing for an 18-year-old first-time World Championship challenger going up against the defending world champion to be seen as an outright favourite. Form favours Indian teen D Gukesh over a world champion who hasn’t quite been himself for a while now. Grandmasters around the world have weighed in and the feeling is shared – a Gukesh win is expected in the November match. In a recent interview, Ding Liren spoke of liking the feeling of being the underdog – “I’ll surprise them then.”

How does the Indian look at the expectation he carries going into the match in such a scenario? “I’m glad people are saying this and I’m happy with my form but I don’t think it adds any extra pressure. Of course, the pressure of playing the World Championship is there, but there’s no additional pressure, I think I can handle it well.” Gukesh said in a media interaction.

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“I don’t believe in predictions and favourites and don’t really buy into the things that people say about the match. I just think that whoever it’s able to show up every day and is at his best, will win. For me it’s just a match against a very strong player. I’m preparing for Ding at his best. My job is to go there and play good chess. It doesn’t really matter what kind of form he is in. My job is pretty clear.”

What about the preparation that such a match entails? Discontent over the format aside, five-time world champion Magnus Carlsen also came to loathe what goes into getting ready to play a World Championship that had him eventually walk away from it.

“I’m enjoying the process,” said Gukesh, “It’s different for each of us. Magnus has been doing this for so many years (unlike him). So, it’s easier for me to enjoy this than him. It’s a new experience. I think preparation will be quite important, but there will also be other parts in the match that decide the results.”

He believes his age offers him the advantage of energy and the ability to focus for extended periods. “Everything is new for me so it’s easier to enjoy, than say someone like Fabi (Caruana) who has gone through this World Championship cycle so many times. So yeah, I don’t have that kind of baggage. The disadvantage is that I’m not as experienced and don’t have as much knowledge as them. But, till now it (age) has been positive.”

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Like pretty much any strong chess player, Gukesh has studied almost all the World Championship matches but his first experience of the match came in 2013, when Viswanathan and Magnus Carslen played each other in Chennai.

“At that time, I was just starting out in chess, and it was inspiring to see such a huge match happening so close to home. I have followed all the World Championships after that closely. In 2021, I went to Dubai to watch Magnus versus Nepo and I also was following the games. It’s a very special event and I’m glad to be part of this amazing history.”

Gukesh spoke about being inspired by reading about Olympic gold medallist Abhinav Bindra’s dedication and discipline through setbacks in his autobiography A Shot at History. “I remember one thing I really liked was Abhinav doing the right things even in difficult situations. It was amazing to see how he continued to work hard and how motivated he was after a heartbreak (2004 Olympics) and went on to win gold in the Olympics four years later.”

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Anushka Sharma lauds Ravichandran Ashwin’s ‘lasting legacy’, sends hugs to his wife Prithi as Team India legend retires

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Anushka Sharma lauds Ravichandran Ashwin’s ‘lasting legacy’, sends hugs to his wife Prithi as Team India legend retires

Anushka Sharma shared a heartfelt post for Indian cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin after he announced his retirement from international cricket.

Anushka Sharma has become the latest celebrity to pay tribute to Indian cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin, who announced his retirement from international cricket on Wednesday. After Ashwin’s shock announcement at the conclusion of the Brisbane Test in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Anushka took to Instagram to applaud the Indian spinner. (Also read: Anushka Sharma praises chess world champion D Gukesh’s father Dr Rajinikanth as he opens up about sacrifice)

Anushka celebrates Ashwin’s legacy
Taking to her Instagram Stories late on Wednesday night and reshared the video of Ashwin’s retirement speech posted by the Indian Cricket Team’s official handle. Sharing the video on Instagram Stories, Anushka wrote, “@rashwin99 a lasting legacy,” adding applause and blue heart emojis.

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Anushka also tagged fellow WAG, Ashwin’s wife, Prithi Narayanan, sending her hugs and love through emojis. Anushka has very cordial relations with both Ashwin and Prithi, courtesy her marriage to former Indian captain Virat Kohli. The four have often hung out during Indian team’s overseas tours and celebrated festivals together as well.

Ashwin’s incredible career

R Ashwin, one of the greatest Indian spinners ever, announced his retirement in a press conference on Wednesday after the Brisbane Test ended. He leaves international cricket as the fifth-highest wicket-taker in Test cricket history. Virat Kohli was seen getting emotional at Ashwin’s retirement. TV cameras during the India-Australia Test caught the two sharing a tender moment in the dressing room as Ashwin seemingly told him about his retirement plans hours before the official announcement.

Anushka’s upcoming work

Anushka Sharma is playing a cricketer in her next, Chakda Xpress. A biopic of Indian women’s team legend Jhulan Goswami, the film has been awaiting release for over two years. It is slated to be released on Netflix, but no release date has been announced yet. The actor was last seen in Shah Rukh Khan’s Zero, way back in 2018.

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