'Under pressure, he couldn't and Gukesh managed': Viswanathan Anand reveals why D Gukesh is special

History was made in Toronto when a 17-year-old Indian grandmaster emerged as the victor of the FIDE Candidates Chess Tournament. D Gukesh, the Chennai-based Chess GM, is the hype of the moment after he made his way through the prestigious championship with a win, setting up a titanic clash with China's Ding Liren for the Chess Championship title. He bettered the 40-year-old record of Garry Kasparov after becoming the youngest ever to become the challenger for the world title. Amid the congratulatory thoughts all over, Gukesh's mentor Visvanathan Anand has given the flowers to the 17-year-old world championship contender.  

Also Read: D Gukesh wins Candidates, makes history after becoming the youngest contender for World C'ship title

Viswanathan Anand celebrates Gukesh's win at Candidates, reveals the X-factor that no one else had

After Gukesh Dommaraju secured the spot for the World Championship contention, Republic spoke to Grandmaster Viswanathan Anand upon his win at the FIDE Candidate's Tournament. He revealed the X-factor that Gukesh possessed, which is something that his rivals, Fabiano Caruana and Ian Nepomniachtchi did not have. Anand reflected upon the 17-year-old's calmness throughout the tournament.

"You can train all you want, but you cannot recreate the tension and the pressure on your nerves that you encounter. I would point out that his two main rivals, Caruana and Nepomniachtchi, had one of the most nerve-racking games on the very next board, and they were unable to cope.

“Caruana had a will for almost 5 minutes till the end, and he has won many games like this. But today, under pressure, he couldn't do it, and Gukesh managed. This is that X-Factor. That unknown quantity that Gukesh is showing that he has inside,” said Anand.

Also Read: D Gukesh reveals BIGGEST REASON behind his victory & becoming chess' youngest world title contender

Viswanathan Anand shared his zeal for Gukesh's grand win over social media platform X (Formerly Twitter) and expressed his joy for the 17-year-old. 

In reference to the match, Gukesh finished with nine points out of a possible fourteen in the competition that determines the challenger to the world champion after playing an easy draw with American Hikaru Nakamura in the fourteenth and final round. The young man from Chennai eclipsed the mark set by the legendary Russian player Garry Kasparov, who was 22 years old when he qualified to face Anatoly Karpov in 1984.