World chess champion Gukesh looks up to Carlsen, Hikaru and other top players as motivation: 'This is the beauty of competition'

It’s been almost a month since Dommaraju Gukesh clinched a historic World Chess Championship title in Singapore after he defeated China’s Ding Liren. It was Gukesh’s dream since his childhood to become the world champion in chess, and he did so by beating Ding with a score of 7.5-6.5.

Gukesh recovered from a disappointing start in his 14-game World Championship contest against Ding, with the teenager showcasing his mental strength and his never-give-up attitude throughout the competition. Gukesh has also been nominated for the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna award in the aftermath of his victory.

‘A very special achievement for me’: Gukesh on winning World Chess Championship title

Gukesh had qualified for the World Championship match against then defending champion Ding by winning the 2024 Candidates tournament in Toronto. “As a kid I wanted to become world champion because I thought it meant to be the best player in the world. Now, it’s a very special achievement for me. Going through the whole process—the Candidates, World Championship, it’s very stressful and I had to put a lot of effort into it,” Gukesh told the International Chess Federation (FIDE).

Gukesh became the second Indian after Viswanathan Anand and the youngest-ever at 18 years old to clinch the World Chess Championship title. “So, it means a lot to me, but my main goal I have had is being the best in the world, achieving to the full potential if that’s enough to become the greatest of all time,” added the 18-year-old.

‘Magnus and all top players are my motivation’: Gukesh

The Chennai youngster said that he looks up to grandmasters like Magnus Carlsen and Hikaru Nakamura as inspiration to keep working hard.

“Magnus and all the top players—Fabi, Hikaru, Nepo—all these amazing guys are my motivation to keep working hard. I guess this is the beauty of competition,” added Gukesh.

After winning the World Championship title in December, Gukesh opted to skip the 2024 FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Championships which was held in New York later that month. Gukesh will next compete at the 2025 Tata Steel Chess tournament in Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands that will take place from 17 January to 2 February.