<p>Bengaluru: Karnataka’s Vinayak Kulkarni, in his late 20s, had seen and heard of his young opponent even before facing him in 2018. There was a buzz already, that this kid wasn’t someone to be taken casually. ‘You better be prepared really well’, Vinayak was warned by fellow chess players. </p>.<p>Taking the caution seriously, Vinayak, in the seventh round of the Mumbai Wealth Open Grandmaster meet, had done all his homework before sitting across a table with the then 12-year-old <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/d-gukesh">D Gukesh</a>. </p>.Magnificent year turns magical .<p>He was playing the under-13 event in the morning and the open category later in the day,” recollected Vinayak, chess coach and player. </p>.<p>“..he came in a bit tired after his morning round. Maybe that worked to my advantage as I had the whole day to prepare. Yes, I won, but knew he was going to be something special,” said Vinayak. </p>.<p>As people in India and across the world contemplate, discuss and debate about a young lad’s achievement on the 64-square checkerboard, the chess community in Karnataka too has joined in the celebrations in rejoicing Gukesh’s feat.</p>.<p>“This is an important victory. It is massive for the Indian chess community,” expressed Sudarshan Bhat, another professional chess player from the state, about Gukesh’s win over China’s Ding Liren at the World Championship. </p>.<p>“A seven-year-old Gukesh got inspired by (Viswanathan) Anand when he lost to (Magnus) Carlsen at a World Championship. Now, he will become a role model to so many 6, 7, and 8-year-olds to take up the sport professionally. </p>.<p>“It’s difficult to draw attention because chess isn’t a spectator sport. Now, there will be more schools and colleges supporting chess and hopefully more sponsorship pumped in,” said Sudarshan, who had faced Gukesh at an event in 2022. </p>.<p>The prediction of a brighter future for the sport sure comes across as reasonable, more so now. After all, everything that transpired over the past fortnight and more in Singapore, has many, even those with little knowledge, stirring up a conversation. But what do the experts have to say? </p>.<p>“I think the Candidates tournament (that Gukesh won in April in Canada to become Liren’s challenger) was more demanding. He played some unusual lines and did not choose safe options. That has been his big strength throughout his career - finding something unusual and going deep into it,” offered Vinayak. </p>.<p>“Many are criticising that a world championship match should not have such big blunders or mistakes, but I think it adds a human touch to the game. It kept the spectators entertained more than ever before. So that’s a good sign,” opined Sudarshan. </p>.<p>Seldom does anything attract more attention than winning. By ascending a coveted throne, Gukesh has managed to captivate a population towards the sport all over again. And out of all the sentiments running high right now, Vinayak and Sudarshan assure that the chess family is an inspired lot. </p>
<p>Bengaluru: Karnataka’s Vinayak Kulkarni, in his late 20s, had seen and heard of his young opponent even before facing him in 2018. There was a buzz already, that this kid wasn’t someone to be taken casually. ‘You better be prepared really well’, Vinayak was warned by fellow chess players. </p>.<p>Taking the caution seriously, Vinayak, in the seventh round of the Mumbai Wealth Open Grandmaster meet, had done all his homework before sitting across a table with the then 12-year-old <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/d-gukesh">D Gukesh</a>. </p>.Magnificent year turns magical .<p>He was playing the under-13 event in the morning and the open category later in the day,” recollected Vinayak, chess coach and player. </p>.<p>“..he came in a bit tired after his morning round. Maybe that worked to my advantage as I had the whole day to prepare. Yes, I won, but knew he was going to be something special,” said Vinayak. </p>.<p>As people in India and across the world contemplate, discuss and debate about a young lad’s achievement on the 64-square checkerboard, the chess community in Karnataka too has joined in the celebrations in rejoicing Gukesh’s feat.</p>.<p>“This is an important victory. It is massive for the Indian chess community,” expressed Sudarshan Bhat, another professional chess player from the state, about Gukesh’s win over China’s Ding Liren at the World Championship. </p>.<p>“A seven-year-old Gukesh got inspired by (Viswanathan) Anand when he lost to (Magnus) Carlsen at a World Championship. Now, he will become a role model to so many 6, 7, and 8-year-olds to take up the sport professionally. </p>.<p>“It’s difficult to draw attention because chess isn’t a spectator sport. Now, there will be more schools and colleges supporting chess and hopefully more sponsorship pumped in,” said Sudarshan, who had faced Gukesh at an event in 2022. </p>.<p>The prediction of a brighter future for the sport sure comes across as reasonable, more so now. After all, everything that transpired over the past fortnight and more in Singapore, has many, even those with little knowledge, stirring up a conversation. But what do the experts have to say? </p>.<p>“I think the Candidates tournament (that Gukesh won in April in Canada to become Liren’s challenger) was more demanding. He played some unusual lines and did not choose safe options. That has been his big strength throughout his career - finding something unusual and going deep into it,” offered Vinayak. </p>.<p>“Many are criticising that a world championship match should not have such big blunders or mistakes, but I think it adds a human touch to the game. It kept the spectators entertained more than ever before. So that’s a good sign,” opined Sudarshan. </p>.<p>Seldom does anything attract more attention than winning. By ascending a coveted throne, Gukesh has managed to captivate a population towards the sport all over again. And out of all the sentiments running high right now, Vinayak and Sudarshan assure that the chess family is an inspired lot. </p>