D Gukesh made history last December by becoming the youngest world chess champion ever at just 18 years old. He pulled off this incredible achievement by defeating the reigning champion, Ding Liren, during the World Chess Championship held in Singapore. The match was intense, culminating in a nail-biting 14th game where a mistake from Ding on the 55th move led him to resign, marking a huge victory for Gukesh.

At 18, Gukesh became the 18th world champion, breaking the previous record held by Garry Kasparov since 1985, who was four years older when he won.

In an interview with Forbes India, Viswanathan Anand, a five-time world champion himself, praised Gukesh's calmness and focus, even under pressure. He noted, "For example, after his win in Game 11 of the championship, he faced a tough loss in Game 12, but he handled it well and kept pushing forward."

Gukesh and Anand are the only two chess champions from India. Anand remarked, "He shows a level of consistency that makes him really tough to beat. Opponents find it hard to shake his focus."

Analyzing Gukesh's playing style, Anand mentioned, "He explored a variety of strategies in different openings. Some didn’t pan out, like in Game 1, but others were successful, such as Games 3, 7, and 13."

Recently, Gukesh participated in the Weissenhaus Freestyle Chess Grand Slam but didn’t manage to secure a win, finishing in eighth place. He’s gearing up for the Paris Grand Slam and other Grand Chess Tour events in the upcoming months, along with a classical chess match against Magnus Carlsen at Norway Chess 2025.

In Paris, Gukesh will join a strong lineup of Indian players, including Arjun Erigaisi and R Praggnanandhaa. Notably, Praggnanandhaa defeated Gukesh in the tie-breaker round at the Tata Steel Masters in Wijk aan Zee earlier this January.

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