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After the gruelling 14 games, it was finally time for the youngster to rejoice, as he finally was presented with the coveted trophy, indicating that Gukesh had done it, once and for all.
D Gukesh with the World Championship trophy (X)
How fitting has it been for Gukesh to be crowned as the 18th World Champion at 18 years of age? The young Indian GM finally got his hands on the coveted FIDE World Championship Trophy in Singapore on Friday.
Gukesh ousted Chinese GM Ding Liren in Game 14 of the World Chess Championships to become the youngest world champion in the history of the sport on Thursday.
With his monumental win, Gukesh became the 18th GM and just the second Indian GM, after the legendary Viswanthan Anand, to win the world championship title.
After the gruelling 14 games, it was finally time for the youngster to rejoice, as he finally was presented with the coveted trophy, indicating that Gukesh had done it, once and for all.
One may assume that reaching the peak of the Chess world in historic fashion may satisfy one’s appetite. That’s not the case with newly-crowned World Champion D Gukesh, who already has his eyes set on his next goal: face off against Magnus Carlsen.
“Being World Champion doesn’t mean I am the best player. There is Magnus. But, it’s motivating to know that there is always someone at a very high level, someone that will push me to keep reaching to attain the level of greatness that Magnus has achieved,” exclaimed the young world champion Gukesh.
Gukesh then threw the gauntlet out to the former five-time World Champion, stating his intentions to face off against the Norwegian to put his abilities to the ultimate test.
“Playing against Magnus in a World Championship would be the toughest challenge in Chess. It is up to him, but I would love to test myself against him.”
But Carlsen, who also congratulated the youngster of his feat, ruled that out.
“It’s an incredible achievement (by Gukesh), first he was down in the FIDE circuit, won the tournament in Chennai on demand, then he had an amazing performance in the Candidates tournament,” said Carlsen on a popular recap stream, analyzing the match.
“It’s a really good thing for him, he has the title now for two years, winning this championship is extremely motivating so there is a very good chance that he is going to go for a great run of results now and probably become the number two player now and maybe number one in the not so distant future,” he noted.
“But, I am not part of this circus anymore,” said Carlsen in a general reference to world title clashes.