‘A bit surprising’: Viswanathan Anand on D Gukesh’s title triumph on NDTV

India’s sporting history witnessed a turning point on Thursday as Gukesh D became the youngest world champion in chess history. Gukesh defeated China’s Ding Liren in the 14th and final round and went down in history. However, until the end of the game, it didn’t look like Gukesh would win the title as the game was deadlocked. However, a “blunder” from Liren gave Gukesh the opportunity to make the title his own. However, the way the finale ended surprised the great Viswanathan Anand.

Speaking to NDTV, Anand admitted that he did not expect Gukesh to take home the title on Thursday as he believed the match would be decided in a tie-breaker on Friday. What happened, however, pleasantly surprised him.

“It’s a little bit historic and a little bit surprising. Historic because he is the youngest world champion in history. Surprise because with 20 minutes to go it didn’t look like it (the league title) would be decided.” “We thought there would be a tiebreaker,” Viswanathan Anand said in an exclusive interview.

When asked about Gukesh’s greatest strength, Anand said he has a little bit of everything.

“You have to do well in everything. As a person you grow and overcome all challenges. He succeeded. He was very focused and committed. He was rewarded for that today,” affirmed the chess icon.

The boy who would be king@FIDE_chess @WacaChess pic.twitter.com/kN8eG7fijq

— Viswanathan Anand (@vishy64theking) December 13, 2024

Viswanathan Anand himself is a five-time world champion who lost his title to Magnus Carlsen in 2013. Reflecting on the legacy of the Indian chess legend, Gukesh recalled watching his crucial game against the Norwegian and how it inspired him.

“Eleven years ago, India was stripped of its title. When I was watching the game in 2013, I was in the stands and thought it would be so cool to be in the penalty box,” Gukesh said after bringing the title back to India.

Gukesh also admitted that he did not expect Ding to make this mistake.

“I got a little emotional because I didn’t expect to win. But then I got the chance to move on,” he said.