Youngest World Chess Champion’s Grand Homecoming

Gukesh: ‘My desire to win is probably stronger than my fear of losing… I’m a bit of a risk-taker’
India’s D Gukesh during the Closing Ceremony of the FIDE World Chess Championship 2024, in Singapore. (FIDE/Eng Chin An via PTI Photo)
In Singapore, there were multiple times when he pressed for the game to go on even when he was in a worse position on the board. Twice he declined a draw offer from his opponent even when he was in a worse position on the board. Asked about appetite to take risks in games that had everything riding on them, Gukesh said: “My desire to win is probably stronger than my fear of losing. Maybe it’s because of my young age. I’m a more ambitious player. From the initial few games, it was clear that Ding was not taking on the chances that he was given. So I had a bit more freedom to push. I felt the freedom to push my luck a bit. He was doing great at defending tenaciously. But he was not taking on the chances he had. In general, I agree, I’m a bit of a risk-taker.”
Gukesh said that he started to realise that Ding was playing cautiously in the second game when he “went too easy on me”.
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