D Gukesh, youngest world chess champion, gets rousing welcome at Chennai airport

Chennai: After making a billion Indians proud by becoming the world’s youngest ever chess champion, D Gukesh arrived here on Monday to a cheerful reception by sports enthusiasts and the general public who arrived in huge numbers at the Chennai airport. 18-year-old Gukesh was accorded a red carpet welcome by the Sports Authority of Tamil Nadu (SDAT) with two top-ranking government officials receiving him at the airport.

Gukesh, who arrived along with his father and mother, will be felicitated by Tamil Nadu government at a grand event on Tuesday where Chief Minister M K Stalin will hand over him a cheque for Rs 5 crore, the cash prize announced by the DMK dispensation. The felicitation ceremony will also witness deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin and chess legend Viswanathan Anand in attendance.

Hundreds of people from all walks of life and students of Velammal Vidyalaya, which produced several grandmasters, thronged the Chennai airport with placards that read, “Velammal’s Pride Gukesh.” People shouted Gukesh’s name as the teenager emerged from the arrival area of the airport, clad in a blazer and holding his trophy with pride in his hand.

Gukesh had a tough time inside the airport, obliging for selfies and pictures with passengers and staff who congratulated him for his success. Additional Chief Secretary (Youth Affairs and Sports Development) Atulya Misra and SDAT Member-Secretary Meghanath Reddy welcomed Gukesh and escorted him to a specially decorated vehicle which was dotted with pictures of the young champion’s past achievements.

The teenager chess champion was also given a rousing reception at his school Velammal Vidyalaya, which had produced other young champions like Praggnanandhaa and Vaishali. Addressing a press conference at the school along with his parents, Gukesh said he was extremely happy that he could achieve his dream of becoming the world’s youngest chess champion.

“I am extremely happy that I have been able to bring pride for the country and my state…There were ups and downs in the game and different emotions were involved. It was overwhelming when the match ended at 14th round when I was thinking that there could be a tie breaker,” Gukesh said.

Categorised as an “elite sportsperson” by the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu (SDAT), Gukesh is among the chess players who continue to receive financial support from the SDAT under the high incentive category. The state government did walk the extra mile in 2023 by organising the Chennai Grand Masters event in 2023 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 had told DH.