D Gukesh aims to reach full potential after World Chess Championship win: 'I still have a long way to go'

Indian Grandmaster Dommaraju Gukesh knows that he still has work to do in order to reach the top level of professional chess, despite winning the World Chess Championship title. Gukesh, 18, recently defeated China’s Ding Liren to clinch a historic World Chess Championship title in Singapore.

He became only the second Indian, after the legendary Viswanathan Anand to do so and also became the youngest-ever world champion. “When I realized I was winning, I felt great and quite excited,” Gukesh told Hindustan Times newspaper.

“It was a significant moment for me, but I know I still have a lot to improve. I’m just trying my best to reach my full potential," admitted the teenager from Chennai. Gukesh had a similar answer when asked about comparisons with Viswanathan Anand and Magnus Carlsen. “I think I still have a long way to go. My focus is on improving and reaching my full potential," he reiterated.

Ever since his World Championship win, one of the major challenges Gukesh has faced is being a global sporting icon at 18. “Chess players are used to quiet and focused environments, so this is definitely a change,” said Gukesh.

“But I see it as a privilege. If I can inspire people to take up chess or play a small part in its growth, that’s something I’m proud of,” he added. Gukesh admitted that bigger challenges lie ahead of him. “I have bigger goals, and I think there’s a lot more to come. There’s not much pressure to stay where I am but to keep going forward,’ he stated.

Gukesh had begun his World Champions campaign against Liren with a loss, before securing a draw and clinching a win in the next two games. The two then played out seven consecutive draws before Gukesh won Game 11 and Liren returned the favour in Game 12. It all came down to Game 14 when the scores were level 6.5-6.5, and Liren committed a costly blunder in that game to eventually surrender the title.