India’s Grandmaster D Gukesh said that he should not be compared to five-time World Chess Champion Vishwanathan Anand by any stretch of the imagination.
The 17-year-old youngster recently toppled Anand to become the highest-ranked player in India since July 1986. The youngster gained 2758 points and jumped seven places to No.8 in the rankings.
Despite holding a high position, Gukesh feels that it is way too early for him to be compared with the legendary Anand.
“The expectations are always there so I’m used to it. Holding India’s No. 1 ranking is a really special thing for me. But by no means i should be compared to Vishi sir. He is a five-time world champion,” Gukesh was quoted as saying to ANI.
“My plan is to always improve my game as much as I can. I will be playing a few tournaments,” he stated.
Gukesh, Praggnanandhaa shining for India
Apart from Gukesh, Praggnanandhaa has also made India proud with his performance. On Monday, September 11, the two grandmasters were felicitated by their respective schools.
Praggnanandhaa recently grabbed the limelight after bagging the silver medal in the World Cup held in Baku. The young chess player gave veteran Magnus Carlsen a run for money before eventually losing the match.
Recently, Udhayanidhi Stalin, the Tamil Nadu Sports Minister, awarded a prize money of INR 60 lakh each to Gukesh and Praggnanandhaa. He also pledged to support the two young players in the future.
“Today, we participated in the award ceremony held for the students of Velammal School, Chennai, who achieved achievements in #FIDEChessWorldChampionship and brought pride to Tamilnadu,” Stalin wrote on X.
“Congratulations to brother Pragnananda and brother Gukesh, who were born in a simple family and who have made Tamil Nadu stand on the world stage with their talent,” he added.
