Good Sports: YOUNGEST GRANDMASTER
At age 12, D. Gukesh of Chennai has become India’s youngest and the world’s second youngest chess grandmaster. He achieved the feat by beating Dinesh K. Sharma, an International Master, at the 17th Delhi International Open Grandmasters Chess Tournament in mid-January.
“Before the game I did not feel any pressure, but during the game I got anxious,” Gukesh told India Today. “However, after the opening game I had a good advantage position, so I felt at ease and converted the position to a comfortable win.”
Gukesh, who began playing chess at age 7, practices for seven hours a day. His father, D. Rajinikanth, is a doctor, but stopped practicing medicine to manage his son’s chess career, while Gukesh’s mother, Padma Kumari, supports the family through her job as a doctor at a government hospital.
“It’s quite tough but when you get these results we are happy for all the sacrifices we have done for him,” Rajinikanth said.
Compiled and partly written by Indian humorist MELVIN DURAI, author of the novel Bala Takes the Plunge.
[Comments? Contributions? Please email us at melvin@melvindurai.com. We welcome jokes, quotes, online clips, and more.]
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