Gukesh excited about the Asian Games, feels India has a fair chance

Gukesh is thrilled at getting a chance to watch athletes in other sports at the Hangzhou Asian Games.
| Photo Credit: DEBASISH BHADURI

He was the undoubted star of last year’s Chess Olympiad in Chennai, and now D. Gukesh is excited about the Asian Games, beginning at Hangzhou later this month.

Chess is making a comeback to the Asian Games after a gap of 13 years, just in time for the massively talented young Indians like Gukesh.

“I am very excited about my first ever Asian Games,” he said at a media interaction here on Thursday. “It is a prestigious event and I look forward to watching athletes in other sports. I love badminton, and I would like to watch it if I could.”

Gukesh, who recently broke into the World top 10, believes India has fair chances on the chessboard. “But there are other strong teams,” he said. “And we had a camp here with Boris Gelfand. It went off very well. It was very tiring, which is usually good. The camp was brilliant.”

The 17-year-old didn’t have a particularly good time at the rapid section of the Tata Steel Chess India tournament, as he could finish only sixth. “Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (the champion) was clearly the best player here,” he said.

He sounded happy with his win against R. Praggnanandhaa, the other teenaged sensation from Chennai, though. “It was a very interesting game and I wanted to win it,” he said. “I chose a sharp opening. And the plan worked out well.”

Gukesh should be hoping to do better in the blitz section of the tournament, starting on Friday.