'Criticism has always been a source of motivation for me'

It’s just day five since he was crowned 2024 FIDE World Chess champion (which he celebrated with a bungee jump), and Gukesh Dommaraju is still learning to adjust to the fanfare.

In an exclusive interview with Deputy Editor Suhani Singh, Guki, as he is fondly referred to by fans, talks about his love for chess, the impact of ‘Vishy Sir’, his Gen Z compatriots, the streaming mania around chess and future goals. Excerpts:

Q.You talk of chess fondly, touching on beauty and aesthetics. But at just six-and-a-half years, what drew you to the game?

Before chess, we tried tennis, abacus and even skating. My family used to play chess as a hobby at home. I got interested in it and learned the rules. There was this summer camp in school when I was in the first standard and I tried out chess. There it was my first coach, Bhaskar Sir, who said I have a knack for it and should take it further. The thing is, chess had all these pieces, like toys, and I could just play around with them. Once I started to understand the rules, there was this unlimited beauty in chess. But I'm still learning...Vishy Sir has been playing for five decades and he is still learning every day.

Q. After becoming world champion, you said it doesn't mean you are the best in the world. Was that bait for world #1 Magnus Carlsen to get back to classical chess and play you?

It was a bit of both. At that point, I was being honest. It was clear that while the match was between two of the best players in the world, it was not a decider on who is the best. Some players believe that it should be. But when the best player doesn't want to play, it's not the fault of other players. As a chess fan, I'd love to see Magnus back.

Q. Commentators were struck by how often and long you keep your eyes shut in between moves. What was going on there?