Vidit Gujrathi calls on Gukesh to honour his promise of a special treat after World title

D Gukesh will no doubt be drowning in a sea of honours and accolades upon landing in India but fellow Grandmaster Vidit Gujrathi will be standing by with a friendly reminder that the lsquotreatrsquo promised during Chess Olympiad still needs to be fulfilledAsked if he has had the chance to congratulate Gukesh on his win Gujrathi said ldquoI know he is being bombarded with calls and messages right now So I am waiting for him to enjoy this glory for some time and then callrdquoldquoWe have had a deal between ourselves if he became the World Champion he has to give me a treat I think whatever I ask I will get laughsrdquoAt just 18 years old Gukesh has done what many only dream of becoming the youngestever world chess champion after obliterating Chinarsquos Ding Liren He didnrsquot just win the World Championship in Singapore on Thursdaymdashhe obliterated a record held by Russiarsquos Garry Kasparov who was all of 22 when he grabbed the title in 1985Also Read IN PHOTOS Unseen childhood pictures of World Champion D Gukesh show early chess geniusGukesh had already made his mark as Indiarsquos youngestever grandmaster at the ripe old age of 12 years seven months and 17 daysmdashan accomplishment that had the chess world doing a collective doubletake To put this in perspective Magnus Carlsen the reigning superstar and fivetime world champion was older when he became the worldrsquos bestGukesh went on to prove he was exactly who everyone thought he was after all this is the same kid who just six years ago casually declared ldquoI want to become the youngest world chess championrdquoThe gravity of Thursdayrsquos achievement was made perfectly clear the moment he secured the requisite 75 points to Dingrsquos 65 after clinching the 14th and final classical time control game of the match that seemed headed for a draw for the most part Gukesh bursting into tears and embracing his father after nearly three weeks and 14 grueling games was a moment so unexpected that it could only be described as a rare slip in composure from the young man who in public is the living embodiment of shy and reserved hardly ever giving anyone a glimpse of the human sideldquoInitially he was very reserved and he would not interact so much with his teammates In tournaments he would not even speak with others But during Olympiad I saw a very different side of his He let go of that intensity that was rare He was hanging out with us laughing a lot and we cracked many jokes He transformed himself to take that pressure off and he seemed more casual in his approach outside the setting of chess That is a difference I saw in his personalityrdquo remarked GujrathiAlso ReadCricketrsquos mental guru Upton now chess champion Gukeshrsquos secret weaponWhen asked if this year marked the start of Indiarsquos inevitable rise as the undisputed powerhouse of world chess Gujrathi was certain that it would somehow magically draw legions of new players to the gameldquoThere is a new World Champion amongst us and also the youngestever Many people said that after Ding became the World Champion the results that followed it were not so good But now we have someone who has had a great run this year I think what really changes is how India is perceived now First the Olympiad title and now the World Champion also an Indian We saw revolution happening when Viswanathan Anand was crowned the World Champion This too will trigger a similar response This is the beginning I can only see good coming out of itrdquo he saidIndiarsquos chess prowess today of course is deeply rooted in the success of its first Grandmaster Anand along with female chess luminary Koneru Humpy Anand of course appeared out of thin air in the late 1980s to become the worldrsquos leading player going on to win five world championships and staying at the top for nearly 25 yearsThen of course there was Humpymdashthe reigning womenrsquos world rapid chess championmdashwho nonchalantly became the youngest woman to achieve the GM title back in 2002 Now after a modest lag of a decade or two the current generation of Grandmasters has magically emerged propelled by the decadeslong domino effect left by Anand and Humpy The baton has now been passed to the young Gukesh and as things stand in Gujrathirsquos words this is really only the beginning