D Gukesh.
Credit: PTI Photo
Chennai: Tamil Nadu government on Friday announced a cash prize of Rs 5 crore to D Gukesh, who made India proud on Thursday by emerging as the world’s youngest ever Chess champion. Chief Minister M K Stalin announced that the cash prize will be awarded to Gukesh on his return to Chennai from Singapore.
Gukesh is one of the chess players who has been receiving financial assistance under the High Incentive category instituted by the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu (SDAT).
The state government organised a Chennai Grand Masters event last year to help Gukesh gain FIDE circuit points.
Gukesh qualified for the Candidates Tournament 2024 only because of his win in the Chennai event. His success at the Candidates Tournament qualified him to participate in the World Chess Championship being held in Singapore. “Gukesh didn’t have enough circuit points to be eligible to play in the Candidates Tournament and that’s when the Tamil Nadu government pitched in to conduct an event. That move played a critical role in Gukesh’s success,” a source in the SDAT told DH.
“To honour the monumental achievement of @DGukesh, the youngest-ever World Chess Champion, I am delighted to announce a cash prize of ₹5 crore!
His historic victory has brought immense pride and joy to the nation. May he continue to shine and achieve greater heights in the future,” Stalin wrote on his X page.
He also appreciated deputy chief minister Udhayanidhi Stalin and the Sports Department for “their exceptional support and encouragement in nurturing this young star.”
Udhayanidhi said the state government will organise a meet to celebrate the success of Gukesh, who is expected to return to Chennai by December 17.
Coach all praise for Gukesh
Gukesh’s coach Vishnu Prasanna said the teenager has “rewritten the history” by emerging as the youngest world Chess champion and that he never thought a decade ago that someone could achieve such a feat when they are just 18.
“His (Gukesh) dream was to win the World Chess Championship. He has been talking about achieving this since his childhood. Gukesh exploited the defensive moves of title holder GM Ding Liren to emerge victorious in the finals,” he said.
“It was a tough match. He has been working hard for the past several years by spending about 10 to 12 hours a day in training for the world championship. This is an unexpected record and I haven’t seen such a feat in 25 years of me closely following Chess,” Prasanna added.