By Dhruvi Shah
Anand has been preparing for a truly unique challenge in this Festival of Champions 2022 Season 3. His next opponent will be none other than his former student and current World Champion, Gukesh Dommaraju, who, yes, has won the title. Anand’s last encounter with Gukesh at the Grandmasters Club had both a serious element and a fun element, as 19-year-old Gukesh telling Anand that the two would meet in the third round of this tournament is definitely on the latter side. While Anand was very much entertained by Gukesh’s approach to their battle, he considers it more of a reflection of Gukesh’s eagerness to play rather than Gukesh’s competitive spirit.
Gukesh’s rise to the World Championship title one year ago in Singapore was a historic moment for India. Although it has raised Gukesh’s profile within the chess community, Anand understands the added intensity surrounding Gukesh’s title and how it impacts both him and Anand personally. In their bid to support each other’s careers, Gukesh and Anand have found more time to create commercial projects together than to play their games of chess. Nonetheless, there is a visible bond between the two champions that includes friendly rivalry, puzzle exchanges, and a clear mentor-mentee relationship.
Gukesh’s performances throughout the 2024 season have garnered a range of responses. There have been several moments of sheer excellence for Gukesh, most notably his classical victory over World Champion Magnus Carlsen during the Norway Chess Tournament, an impressive showing at Tata Steel, and at times, the ability to dominate the more experienced players he has faced in the previous year.
Anand believes the increased focus on Gukesh’s year is exaggerated and, simply put, “Not a big deal”. Anand feels the experimentation done by Gukesh, the travel to play at different tournaments and continually playing chess are an integral part of Gukesh’s experience and growth as a player and are not indicative of any sort of instability. Setbacks during tiebreak matches or rapid events do not impact a champion’s growth. A champion grows and matures because of their ability to “keep pounding away” until they arrive at their ideal formula.
Anand acknowledges that in today’s digital world everything that a champion does is magnified and he believes that Gukesh currently has to navigate through the digital age with all the commentary that goes with it, while when he was young there were fewer people paying attention and only a limited way of receiving media information.
Regarding their next two GCL matches, Anand anticipates they will attract a little bit of excitement due to the unique storyline of two world champions, who are also mentor and mentee, playing against each other in the spotlight. “I hope I can perform at my best,” said Anand with a grin. For Anand, this is just another game for him, but it will have added interest for fans of Indian chess.