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On Monday, December 16, GM Dommaraju Gukesh, who is the newly crowned World Chess Champion, received a grand welcome on his return to India after winning the title in Singapore last week. There were thousands of chess fans waiting patiently for his arrival in Chennai earlier today, and the atmosphere turned rapturous after he stepped out of the airport, where he made a brief statement about his title victory.
Notably, Dommaraju Gukesh defeated Chinese GM Ding Liren in the World Chess Championship 2024 match by a 7.5-6.5 after a thrilling win in the 14th and final game. With the black pieces, Gukesh pushed Ding to his absolute limit, and forced the former world chess champion to make a decisive blunder late in Game 14 before capitalising on the situation to win the championship, becoming the youngest player to do so at 18 years of age.
I could see the support and what it means to India: Dommaraju Gukesh
Upon his arrival at the Chennai airport as the new World Chess Champion, Dommaraju Gukesh made a brief statement, and he said, as per NDTV, “I am very glad to be here. I could see the support and what it means to India.” Then, the teenager was taken away in a specially decorated car for him, to make an appearance at his school Vellamal International alongside his parents, where he also addressed people for a few minutes.
Following that, in a press conference, Dommaraju Gukesh alluded to the highly important role played by Paddy Upton in his recent success in chess all over the world. He was quoted as saying, by the Indian Express, “Paddy has been a very important part of my team. After I won the Candidates, I asked Sanseep sir (Sandeep Singhal of Westbridge Capital) for a mental trainer. He immediately put me in touch with Paddy Upton, who has had much experience working with high-performance athletes.”
