CHENNAI: At some point in the near future, D Gukesh will be asked if he can turn water into wine. Right now, though, the precocious chess talent, still only 17, will settle for writing himself into the record books with poise, composure and efficiency that you normally don't find in Indians as well as teenagers.
In the process, Gukesh became just the second player from India to move past Viswanathan Anand's Classical rating (live) since July 1986. At the ongoing FIDE World Cup, Gukesh took down Azerbaijan's Misratdin Iskandarov with black pieces to move into the third round. After two wins in as many days over the same opponent, Gukesh's live rating is 2755.9, 1.9 rating points in front of Anand.
Since overtaking Pravin Thipsay (India's first GM) in July 1986, Anand has been the undisputed leader among Indians in Classical (published ratings). The only time he relinquished the hold was when P Harikrishna went ahead during a tournament in March 2016.
Gukesh, considered as the first among equals among the wunderkinds that have emerged in this chess boom in India, unlike Harikrishna, has the opportunity to go past Anand when the new ratings get published later this month.
While R Praggnanandhaa stole the limelight when the two were still adolescents, Gukesh's rapid rise coincided with Mahabalipuram hosting the Chess Olympiad. He showed a penchant to remain calm under pressure; a trait that was rewarded by eight consecutive wins to start the tournament including stunning takedowns of US' Fabiano Caruana, Alexei Shirov and Gabriel Sargissian.
Playing on the first board for India B, he walked away with the main individual honour in the open category. He began the Olympiad with a rating of 2684 and was World No. 54. In exactly a year, he has broken through the Top-10.
The main thing he has changed is his opening. "He has become more consistent," his coach, Vishnu Prasanna, had told this daily last month when he became the youngest teen to breach the 2750-mark. "In the last six-eight months, his openings have improved. He’s devoting more time to it than he used to. That’s the main difference.”
Seeded eighth at the World Cup, Gukesh's goal of qualifying for the Candidates is just beginning (the top three finishers gain automatic entry). With the kind of form he's showing, don't bet against it doing it in 2023.