India now formidable force on chess board

What a proud moment for D Gukesh, his family and the nation! From a time when Russians were the dominant players in chess, we have moved to the Asian nations taking over, with India real-ly upping the ante. The Indian chess resurgence was due to the pioneering and unstinted efforts of Viswanathan Anand. Since then, Chennai has become the chess capital of the world. A very active and vibrant ecosystem has been created in Chennai to nurture the prodigious talent which is there in the Country. I know parents who have shifted to Chennai to help their chil-dren benefit from the ecosystem. Great show Chennai. Keep producing champions. The reality, unfortunately, is that once this moment subsides, the flannelled fools will take over and individual champions will be forgotten.

– Calicut Krishnan Subramaniam, Chennai

***

Kudos to Gukesh for his rigorous, consistent and enduring efforts in winning the World Chess Championship. It was cer-tainly a moment of pride for every Indian to see the Indian flag fluttering in the sky indicating the joy of Indians.

The games between Gukesh and Ding Liren in the recently con-cluded World Chess Championship have been quite exciting often keeping us on the edge of our seats throughout. It was the five-time World Champion Viswanathan Anand, who ele-vated Indian chess to the map of the World. He brought laurels to the country with his spectacular and remarkable perfor-mance. He had been at the helm of the International Chess for about two decades. Since then our country has witnessed the emergence of many talented and promising players.

At present we have scores of well-knit chess prodigies in our country. Gukesh, Arjun Erigaisi, R Praggnanandhaa and Nihal Sarin are some of the Indian Chess prodigies who are at the forefront of the contemporary World Chess Competition.

The sensational victory of Gukesh against Ding Liren in the 14th round of the World Chess Championship, after a long spell of stalemate, certainly reminds us the glorious days of Indian chess when Viswanathan Anand spearheaded the Indian team towards the pinnacle of success.

– Prabhakaran Vallath, Vatakara, Kozhikode

***

I do not know which of the two is more praiseworthy – D Gukesh's win over reigning world chess champion Ding Liren, or his humility? Said Gukesh after his win: "Being the champion does not mean I am the best player in the world." Such humility is a rare trait among champs. “True humility is staying teacha-ble, regardless of how much you already know.” And D Gukesh fits this anonymous quote to a tee.

–Avinash Godboley, Dewas, MP

***

The present thrilling victory of Gukesh winning world champi-onship in chess skyrocketing eminence of India exemplifies that India is a formidable power in chess. In order to popularise chess games and to ensure casting promising chess players in India, what is indispensably required is to ensure organising chess games in schools, libraries or other public places. Then chess will be safe in hands of next generation of Indians ever. Moreover, Gukesh's feat is manifestation of unparalleled talent, dedication and hard work.

–B Veerakumaran Thampi,

Thiruvananthapuram