D Gukesh Returns Home: Chennai celebrates as Gukesh arrives after making history

Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar's message on X for Gukesh: "In a game of 64 squares, you've opened a world of endless possibilities. Congratulations, Gukesh, on becoming the 18th World Champion at just 18! Following in Vishy’s footsteps, you're now guiding the next wave of Indian chess prodigies."

Gukesh showered praise on opponent Ding Liren at the closing ceremony, calling his predecessor from China a ‘true champion’ and said that he admired him.

"This journey has been beautiful because of the people around me. I would also love to thank my opponent, Ding Liren. He is in my eyes a true champion and we saw that despite a lot of pressure on him, he was able to put on a huge fight and this match has been just the show it is because of his fighting spirit. I really admire you,” Gukesh said.

"Paddy has been a very important part of my team. After I won the Candidates, I asked Sanseep sir (Sandeep Singhal of Westbridge Capital) for a mental trainer. He immediately put me in touch with Paddy Upton, who has had do much experience working with high-performance athletes.  

"In a world championship, it's not only about chess. A lot of mental and emotional pressures to deal with. For me, the suggestions and the conversations I have had with him, has been very important for me and my development as a player. Paddy's teachings helped me," says Gukesh at the press conference. 

A touching moment before the press conference. Vellamal's chess coordinator Velmohan is asked to garland Gukesh before he speaks ot the media.  

Gukesh has arrived for the press conference --- his first in India since becoming world champion --- with his trophy. He had famously refused to touch the trophy until it was presented to him at the closing ceremony, despite him doing a couple of events with it in Singapore like a sit down interview and a photoshoot.

The youngest world champion in history is about to start speaking in Chennai in what is his first press confeence in India as the world champion. Venkata Krishna B is on the spot and will be sending us updates. 

After Gukesh joined him in the elusive club of world champions, Viswanathan Anand spoke to The Indian Express where he opened up on his bond with the 18-year-old

"The thing with Gukesh is I'm quite close to him. We speak a lot. We hang out at tournaments. He's a fun guy. He laughs a lot, is very good company and I've always enjoyed that. That's kind of how I saw my role. Whenever we are at tournaments together, we hang out a fair amount. Besides that, I know his team well. Gukesh and I often sit and discuss chess. Every time he gets back home in Chennai, he often calls me and says, 'Sir, I want to share my thoughts on this or that, and we would go over stuff together.' All these things I enjoy very much with him. He would often just pick my brain. Things like ‘What were you thinking in this moment of your career?’ I think he looks to get a sense of what my journey was like and to see if he could imagine it. Literally, he could imagine it happening to him a few months later. He would kind of just ask me what getting to the throne and staying there has been like. I told him many times, you know, things have changed: The way you train for the match, the openings you play, all that will be very different from what I did. But my experiences will be what you will most benefit from. We shared a lot of conversations like that. We also looked at some stuff on the board."

Former MP Rajeev Chandrasekhar hails Gukesh for being an ambassador.

"18-year-old Gukesh is emblematic of this New India - where Young Indians are confidently showcasing their abilities on global stage - From Tech innovation to Sports to Business to Music to Security. I'm a proud Indian because of  Ambassadors of New India like Gukesh - may the force always be with you and all those who believe in working hard for success," posts Rajeev Chandrasekhar on X.

Grandmaster Kevin Goh, who was the head of the organising committee of the world championship in Singapore, posts this message applauding Gukesh. 

"I finally managed to catch a word with this young gentleman, and like the well brought up lad he is, he expressed his thanks to our team for organising the match. Also highlighted that the refreshments in his rest room were great.
Never mind the chess skills, Gukesh represents his family, his country, and the chess world, really well with his sincerity, immaculate manners and composed demeanour. I am looking forward to see him reach even more peaks!"

Absolute chaos in Chennai as Gukesh arrives. A video from Venkata Krishna B.

Gukesh arrives in Chennai and is greeted by Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu and Velammal teachers.

The 18-year-old is presented with a shawl and a bouquet. 

In an interview with The Indian Express, five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand said: "Gukesh became the 18th world champion in the sport in what will have a massive impact on chess in India. Gukesh is the third World Champion from Asia, the second one from India. The second one from Tamil Nadu and Chennai, as well. That's one nice thing. I think at a global level, what will stand out is that he is the youngest world champion in history, beating the previous record by three years. 18 is just an unbelievable age to become world champion."

Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, N Chandrababu Naidu, posted this on Twitter after Gukesh's triumph.

"Hearty congratulations to our very own Telugu boy, Indian Grandmaster Gukesh, on scripting history in Singapore by becoming the world's youngest chess champion at just 18! The entire nation celebrates your incredible achievement. Wishing you many more triumphs and accolades in the decades to come!"

Recently in an interview with The Indian Express, Vishy Anand spoke abotu his protege Gukesh. 

"If you follow Gukesh's career trajectory, it has just gone perfectly. He qualified last year in December for the Candidates (the tournament which is held to decide the challenger to the reigning world champion). He won the Candidates and qualified for the World Championship. In between, he was part of India’s Olympiad gold medal-winning team in Budapest. And then he became the World Champion in just his first attempt," Anand told The Indian Express. 

After becoming world champion, Gukesh sat down with GM Maurice Ashley to talk about a host of issues.

When asked about his love for chess, Gukesh said: "In this match, I was feeling really stressed out and wasn’t feeling very enthusiastic… I went through a lot of emotions during this match. I lost the first game. So many emotions to go through. Was a bit stressful. Got caught up with the pressure of the moment. And at that moment what really helped was those close to me reminded me why I fell in love with the sport in the first place. Back when I first saw the chess board and the pieces, I didn’t know what being a world champion was or any of those things. It was just a toy for me. But the coolest toy.... Deep down I’m still this kid who loves chess."

“Despite all the technological advancements, no one has been able to master chess completely. Even the greatest players make a lot of mistakes in games. It just shows that even if computers are super strong, there is a lot to learn about chess. I strongly believe that the more you learn about something, the more you realize you don’t know about that thing. Chess is a game of unlimited possibilities. And unlimited beauty,” said Gukesh to GM maurice Ashley after becoming world champion. 

Earlier this year, two clips of Gukesh dancing went viral. First he was dancing with the Indian chess team after they swept the gold medals at the Chess Olympiad in Budapest. And then, there was a clip of him doing the Manasilayo dance with friends.

After becoming world champion in Singapore, he told GM Maurice Ashley, “I have a lot of friends who are great dancers. At every get-together they’re usually the ones dancing. And I’m usually the one sitting in a corner, too shy to dance. At the Olympiad, it was a huge high for us. We were really emotional after what we had done. And when that Olympiad video went viral my friends from back home saw it and forced me to dance in that Manasilayo video. So yeah, there will probably be some dancing when I go back home.”

Gukesh is expected any moment now, writes Venkata who is at Chennai Airport. He sends these photos of the fans and the media waiting for the Indian teenager. 

We're getting closer to Gukesh's arrival in India. And the anticipation at the airport is growing. 

Venkata Krishna B, our man on the ground at Chennai Airport, writes that a guard of honour is being formed to welcome him.

He also sends these photos:

Gukesh will receive a whopping prize cheque of Rs 5 crore when he arrives home for winning the world chess championship at the age of 18.

"To honour the monumental achievement of Gukesh, the youngest-ever World Chess Champion, I am delighted to announce a cash prize of ?5 crore! His historic victory has brought immense pride and joy to the nation. May he continue to shine and achieve greater heights in the future. Kudos to Hon'ble Udhay Stalin and Sports Tamil Nadu for their exceptional support and encouragement in nurturing this young star," posted Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin on Twitter

There was lot of chaos and commotion last time. Expecting it to be nothing different this time as well. But the airport security and authorities seem prepared for the eventuality.

Meanwhile, here's the banner that will welcome Gukesh at Chennai Airport

A specially decorated car arrives to take D Gukesh home. It bears the name and face of Gukesh along with his achievement: The New King In The Kingdon Of Chess. 

There's also a 18 @ 18 inscribed, which is a hat-tip to Gukesh becoming the 18th world champion in the sport at the age of 18. 

When Chennai hosted the World Chess Championship battle in 2013 between Viswanathan Anand and Magnus Carlsen, Gukesh was just seven years old. His father took him to watch one game at the Hyatt Regency, where they stood at the back of the hall and watch the action as there were no seats left.

“I was outside, looking inside the glass box. I thought to myself it will be so cool to be inside the glass box one day,” a smiling Gukesh recollected after joining Anand and Carlsen in the ranks of world champions in Singapore.

In a few days, the Norwegian beat Anand to become world champion.

“When Magnus won that world championship by defeating Vishy sir (in Chennai), I thought I really want to be the one to bring back the title to India. This dream that I had over 10 years ago is the single-most important thing in my life so far,” added Gukesh.

In Singapore, he managed to bring the crown back in his first time of trying.

There is more than an hour left for D Gukesh homecoming and the Anna International Airport arrival is already buzzing. When he landed in his hometown after winning the Candidates, Gukesh received a grand welcome even at 3 am. Today one can expect it to be even more grand and bigger given what he has achieved.

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of Gukesh arriving in India after becoming the youngest world chess champion in the world.