On Tuesday, newly crowned world chess champion D. Gukesh was honored at a function organized by the state government and presented with a check of ₹5 crore by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin.
The event was appropriately titled “18. @18” to commemorate the 18-year-old who became the 18th world champion.
In his speech, the chief minister urged the youth to take inspiration from Gukesh’s journey.
“From starting his career as a seven-year-old to becoming world champion, it took him just 11 years.
Sacrifice
“Therefore, I want the youth of this state to look at Gukesh’s hard work, dedication and resolute focus on the task and draw inspiration from him,” Stalin said.
The CM also announced that the Tamil Nadu Sports Development Authority (SDAT) will set up a specialized chess academy called ‘Chess House’.
In his welcome speech, Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister and Sports Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin said, “Gukesh’s victory has once again strengthened Chennai’s place on the world chess map and the state is extremely proud of his success. I hope Gukesh’s feat will help spread the sport to every corner of the state.”
India’s first grandmaster and five-time world champion, Viswanathan Anand, also noted that Tamil Nadu is the chess capital of India and praised the government’s support to players over the years.
“Promising talents receive immediate support from the ground up here. I’ve had the honor of working with Gukesh for the past four years and I’m glad I played a small part in it. During the World Championships, many were impressed by his composure.
“There is never one reason (for success), but if there was one, it was because he was unflappable,” Anand said.
Earlier, Gukesh was taken for a ceremonial parade to the venue via Wallajah Road.
He held aloft his world championship trophy as the cheering crowd pushed to get a glimpse of the world’s youngest champion.
