"A matter of pride for the country...": Former AICF chief Sanjay on Gukesh's World C'ship win

New Delhi [India], December 13 (ANI): Following D Gukesh's historic FIDE World Championship title win, former All India Chess Federation (AICF) president and current International Chess Federation (FIDE) India Zone president Sanjay Kapoor termed the youngster's win as a matter of great pride for the country.
Gukesh made history on Thursday by becoming the youngest-ever champion in the history of the sport after defeating China's Ding Liren in the final game of their FIDE World Championship tie.
Speaking to ANI after the title win, Sanjay said, "It is a great honour. It is a great matter of pride for the country. Many many congratulations to Gukesh. Congratulations to the entire chess and sports fraternity. He has become the second Indian to be the world champion after Vishwanathan Anand."
On whether he had any conversations with Gukesh during his tie with Ding, Sanjay said that chess players are extremely focused and high on concentration.
"Chess players are extremely focused and have high concentration. When you play the game, you have to do a lot of calculations from the first game to the last. He has been developed since a long time and now he is one of the best. There are many players like him, be it Praggananadha, Vidit (Gujarathi) and many others. They are all so good," said Sanjay.
He said that during his stint as the president of AICF, he dreamt that at least one child from each household in India plays chess, be it for enjoyment or professionally and his dream has "finally found wings."
"My dream as a president was that at least one child from every household plays chess. Playing chess is better than playing video games. The fruits of my labour are finally coming, my dream has finally found wings. Prag (Praggananadha) made us proud, we won the Chess Olympiad this year and now this. Whatever we did for Indian chess under my regime is finally showing results and I am really happy for it," said Sanjay.
Sanjay also credited the central government for their support, saying that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has got a "Midas touch" and turns "whatever he touches to gold".
"Government is us with everywhere. PM Modi has got a Midas touch. Whatever he touches, turns to gold. The way he has encouraged the players is really great. I feel this is a new era of sports under PM Modi. It is because of him that chess has come so far," he concluded.
With the scores tied at 6.5-6.5 going into the final game, Gukesh delivered a stellar performance to seal his historic victory, ending with a final score of 7.5-6.5. This win marked him as the 18th chess champion in the sport's history, according to FIDE's official website.
Earlier in April, Gukesh created history by winning the 2024 FIDE Candidates Chess Tournament, becoming the youngest-ever challenger to the world title held by Liren.
Overwhelmed by emotions following his triumph, Gukesh broke down in tears, describing the win as the "best moment of his life."
Meanwhile, Ding Liren said in the post-match press conference, "I was totally in shock when I realised I made a blunder. I will continue to play. I think I played my best tournament of the year. It could have been better, but considering yesterday's lucky survival, it is a fair result to lose in the end. I have no regrets."
Game 13 of the championship ended in a draw on Wednesday, with both players tied at 6.5 points each. At that point, with one classical game remaining, the championship could have been decided by a single move or mistake. The game lasted for 68 moves. (ANI)