CHENNAI: It was 2017 and an 11-year old D Gukesh was still learning the ropes of top-flight chess. But he was clear in his mind: "I want to become the youngest world chess champion," Gukesh had said in an interview. Since then, the Indian GM, full of determination and drive, has been toiling towards his ultimate goal. Thanks to the grind over the years, including "sacrificing childhood" as his coach Vishnu Prasanna would put it Gukesh is now just one step away from realizing his dream. His singular focus on chess and parents' decision to let him do what he does best have also contributed to his meteoric rise. "Gukesh has basically given up his childhood...He does not have anything that a normal kid has, he does not have free time. He has to take more stress than an average child. "It is like a generational thing (achieving chess targets in time), it will happen again only after a few decades. Everybody has goals, but it is very hard to come close to that," GM Prasanna, who has been working with Gukesh for the past seven years, told TOI after his ward emerged triumphant in the prestigious Candidates tournament in Toronto. "Right from the start, he was like that. He wanted to be the world No. 1, that was his main goal. His goal was far away until he qualified for the Candidates late last year. He has come closer to his goal in the last six months to one year. He has been very determined and the final step (World Championship title) remains," Prasanna added.

Expand

Read the original:

Gukesh sacrificed childhood to come this far: Coach - The Times of India