Gukesh Dommaraju, who has spent 18 days and 635 moves in a chess war in Singapore that lasted 56 hours, is taking a break. It's not voluntary. The media, politicians and well wishers have all demanded his time.
In the 10 days that have passed since Gukesh was crowned world champion, he has spent more time away than he allowed himself to do in the last decade.
"I've been trying to relax my body and mind over the last few days because last year was very intense. It was hard work and discipline that were required. Now I'm taking it easy. Gukesh says, "I will be returning to chess very soon," as he is traveling from one public event to another. "I feel a lot of enthusiasm to play in the next tournament and get back to playing chess, but it is smart to take some time to recover and then get back into chess."
Gukesh said that becoming a world champion was his "reason for waking up every morning" during a press event in Singapore. You wonder if a boy who's been driven by a single childhood dream for the past decade is experiencing something that borders on a motivational vacuum. Abhinav bindra felt the same way after becoming an Olympic champion at Beijing 2008. He was emotionally and mentally exhausted.
"I do not feel any lack of motivation. A Shot At History, Abhinav bindra's autobiography is one of my favorites. I am really inspired by him. Our cases are different, but I do think that ours is a little bit different. The Olympics is the ultimate goal in his sport. The four-year preparation for the Olympics is intense. The World Chess Championship also ranks pretty high in the world of chess. For me, my goal was to be the best player on the planet. Since it will still be a long road and there will still many challenges, I find it easier to motivate myself," said Gukesh. He has stated more than once that Magnus Carlsen remains the best player of the world.
Gukesh will compete in the Tata steel chess tournament at Wijk aan zee, from January 17-February 2, against a group of compatriots including Arjun Erigaisi and Praggnanandhaa as well as Leon Luke Mendonca and some of the top stars around the globe like Fabiano Caruana and Nodirbek Abdusattorov. Vincent Keymer, one of his second players, will be at the tournament.
Gukesh, as the world champion, will be scrutinized at every event he attends.
"It was difficult to become world champion, but I'm sure there will be more challenges in the future -- and they will be even harder." But I love challenges, and I'll do my best to learn and improve every day. I want to be my best self. As the World Champion, it's obvious that a lot players will want to beat me. "I'm excited to play against them and prove my strength," says he.
Wasn't expecting Ding to be so tough'
Gukesh has been preparing for the World Championships since April of this year. He won the Candidates, and thus earned the right to challenge Ding Liren as world champion. Grzegorz Gajewski assembled a team of five members, including Pentala Harikrishna. Radoslaw Wojtaszek. Jan-Krzysztof duda. and Vincent Keymer. Paddy Upton, a mind-guru, was also brought in to help him prepare.
Was there still a surprise in Singapore at the start of the action?
"The World Championship was intensely prepared for. It was a long trip! I am so grateful to my team for their support and help in this journey. It was a goal that I set from the start and it means a great deal to me to have achieved this. I must admit that I didn't expect Ding to be so tough in games where he was placed in a worse position. It was a little surprising, but we adapted quickly," says Gukesh.
Gukesh has a number of obligations off the board that will keep him from playing chess for now. He is not bothered, knowing that being a world champion brings with it a certain amount of responsibility.
Open doors for sponsorship
The crown will return to India after 11 years and this is great news for Indian chess. The government has supported the sport in many ways, but I believe this victory will open up the door for many sponsors (for chess-players). The future of chess looks bright. "I'm so grateful to be a part of this chess boom."
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